PMD: Firestorm Origins
by ProfessorLugia
Summary: I... Am a human... Right? As I look at myself in the reflection of the water, that is all I can recall, as well as my name... Connor. But... what I see in front of me is a Mudkip! This Charmander named Vulcan found me passed out on this beach... What happened to me? Who am I? I have to find out about my past. Join me in discovering my lost life with my team: Team Firestorm!
1. Two's a Team

**Dun dun dun duuuuuun! My baseline PMD Story is a-go! Thanks for the wating guys, and I hope you enjoy!**

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**-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Firestorm Origins-**

**-Chapter 1: Two's a Team**

**-?'s POV-**

_Why is the wind picking up?! This wasn't supposed to happen!_

I felt the shock of lightning on my back, and I shouted in pain, "Gah!"

I floated in midair next to my partner, who clutched onto my hand, "A-are you alright?!"

I felt a gigantic surge of power course through me, and I shielded my partner as another bolt hit me. I grunted in pain, and my partner shouted over the wind, "No, you have to hold on! We're almost there!" When suddenly… Nothing. I blacked out entirely.

When I came to, it was in waves of consciousness, my vision fading in and out. I was barely able to stay conscious, but I felt… Water lapping over me. I grunted, feeling a massive pain in my chest as the water hit my body. I passed out again to the sound of the water.

**-Vulcan's POV- **

I paced back and forth in front of the pink tent on the hill… I just couldn't bring myself to step forward. It was Wigglytuff's Guild, the most renowned exploration team training facility in the known world. It certainly looked intimidating, in spite of the… Strange colors. There were torches, and a big iron gate in front of me, and on the ground in front of that was an iron grate.

I sighed, my flaming tail flicking back and forth in anxiousness, "Come on, Vulcan… You're a Charmander, what is there to be scared of? You'll be a Charizard one day!"

I took a deep breath, "One… Two… Three!"

I stepped onto the grate, and looked into the darkness beneath it. I heard a high-pitched voice from far beneath me, "Pokemon Detected! Pokemon Detected!

A low voice shouted, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

The high-pitched voice replied, "The footprint is Charmander's! The footprint is Charmander's!"

I stumbled backwards, thinking that water or something would shoot up and douse my tail flame, "Gah!"

I took a small stone from around my neck, and I stared at it… It was a strange stone, with an intriguing mark on it… It didn't look like anything I had ever seen before... It gave me inspiration and bravery, so I thought that having it with me would help, but I couldn't seem to find the courage to just stand on the grate.

I spat fire into the dirt, and I stood up, "Come on, Vulcan… Seriously? A water trap, of all things? How idiotic can you get?"

It didn't help matters, only discouraging me more, and the sun was setting, so I crossed my arms in disappointment, "You'll get 'em tomorrow..."

I took off down the stairs carved into the stone of the hill, and came to the crossroads, with a well in the upper left corner, facing the hill with the tent on it, where you could write down your adventures once you had an exploration badge.

I walked further downhill, to the small beach directly across from the Guild. I heard the Krabby scuttling throughout the cliffside, and I saw the bubbles that they blew on clear days like this during the sunset. The bubbles always caught the dimming sunlight just right to where it made a rainbow of colors that webbed through the air, sparkling off of the almost sky blue water. I always came here when I was feeling down. The beauty of this place always cheered me up.

I saw a Wailord breach pretty far out, and crash back into the water. I stood up, grabbing my tail as the larger wave crashed into the shore. When it receded, I heard some mumbling to my left.

I glanced over, curious as to what it was, and when I found the origin of the noise, I dropped my tail, letting it drag in the wet sand, "Oh my gosh, are you alright?!"

It was a mudkip, and it had a nasty wound in its chest that went straight through its back, like a hole. I could see straight through it, like a stab wound. It groaned in pain, but somehow it managed to stand up and tackle me to the ground faster than I could move out of the way. I stayed calm, because I didn't know what this pokemon was capable of, but it looked… Afraid.

I slowly asked, "Whoa… Chill out, you were just unconscious…"

_Geez, this pokemon is a tank… Whoever it is._

It backed away from me, and eyed me warily, "Who are you?"

It was a male pokemon, from its voice. It was somewhat deep, and sounded nice enough. I smiled, trying to mask my nervousness, "I'm Vulcan the Charmander! Nice to meet you! I haven't seen you around Treasure Town before, though. I don't recognize you... Who are you?"

He was panting, and he looked down into the sand, "You probably don't recognize me… Because I'm a human."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but other than that wound through your chest, you're a perfectly normal Mudkip."

He gasped, "No… N-No I'm not!" Then for the first time since getting up, he looked at himself, sitting down and moving his small arms, flexing the fin on his head, and he hefted a boulder from the sand experimentally. It flew maybe twenty feet out into the water, making a giant wave. I grabbed my tail, keeping it above the water that crashed in, and he grunted, "So… I am a Mudkip..."

I laughed, "The first thing you resort to is hefting a boulder? You're not playing a trick or something, right? 'Cause usually only mudkips know about their super strength thing."

He seemed kind of confused, but he replied, "No, of course not! I-I would never…"

"Well… What's your name? I told you mine, now it's your turn!"

He nodded, "I do remember that… My name is Connor."

I shook my head in shock, "Wait, you're saying that you don't remember anything else?"

He shook his head, "No… Only that I am-er, was, a human, and my name is Connor…"

I nodded, not really wanting to argue with him, "Alright, I believe you… There's been a lot of outlaw activity lately, and a pokemon can't be too careful, right?"

The Mudkip nodded, then tensed up. Before I could respond, I was tackled from behind, knocked into the sand. I heard a stuffy voice, "Well, I do beg your pardon." It was absolutely pouring out sarcasm.

I rolled up off of the ground, "What's the big idea?!"

I turned, and a Zubat was fluttering in my face, but it wasn't the stuffy voice. This one sounded kind of high-pitched, squeaky, "Heh-heh-heh! Can't figure it out? We wanted to mess with you! Can't face up to us, can you? That's yours, isn't it?"

I felt around my neck, and my relic fragment was gone! I looked around, and saw it on the ground in front of me, "Hey! That's-!"

The Zubat scooped it up in its long, slender legs, and took to the air, "Sorry, kiddo. We'll take that!"

I stood there in shock, mouth gawking. _How did I lose it so easily?! Those little-!_

The Koffing gloated, floating just out of reach, Whoa-ho-ho! Not gonna make a move to get it back? What's the matter? Too scared?"

I lit my hands on fire, clenching my fists, "I don't want to hurt you…"

He smirked, "I'm callin' your bluff!"

My flames fizzled out, and he laughed, "I didn't expect that you'd be such a coward!"

He turned to the Zubat, "Come on, let's get out of here."

They flew past us, and just before they vanished into the Beach Cave, the Zubat chuckled, "See you around, chicken. Heh-heh-heh."

I growled in frustration, "I need to get that stone back!"

Connor strode up to me, "What was that? You made a threat, and didn't follow up?"

I shrugged, ashamed of myself, "I don't want to hurt anybody…"

He smiled warmly, which made me feel better, "Vulcan… You want that stone back? Show them that you're strong enough to get it!"

I nodded, putting on a smile, "Alright, I will! Let's go!"

I was relieved that this mudkip came along when he did… I wouldn't have had the courage to go alone… Pathetic, I know… I knew ember, fire punch, and scratch right now… Pretty good attacks, but that Mudkip… If he really was a human, then he must have worked with a mudkip or something, because he knew water gun and tackle, and he really knew how to use them, even though we didn't hardly run into any wild pokemon in the cave this time. Which was weird, because Kangaskhan, the pokemon that runs the storage back in Treasure Town, said that it's normally crawling with Shellos and Kabuto. I guess that the Koffing and Zubat took them out for us while they were running through it.

I found a blast seed, marked by the orange zig-zag line running across the center of it horizontally, and I grabbed it, "Connor, you know what this is?"

He shook his head, and I answered, "This is a blast seed. You eat it, then you breathe fire for a second. It'll help in a pinch."

He nodded, and I looked at the hole in his chest, "Hey… Are you sure that you're up to fight them? That wound looks really bad…"

_I wonder what the heck he got it from… And how he's still up and moving!_

He smiled, but grimaced, "Of course. This is important to you, right?"

I nodded my confirmation, and he let a slight huff out, "Good. Let's go kick their butts."

We kept heading up the floors, marked by mossy staircases that lead into midair. When we climbed up them, we were in another section of the dungeon.

We made it to the bottom soon after, and the Koffing was talking to the Zubat at the end, in a clearing. I couldn't make out what they were saying, and I had to get their attention, so I spoke up, "Um… Hey!"

They both turned to us, "Well, well, well, if it isn't our friend, the big chicken!"

Connor stepped forward, "Leave him alone. He didn't do anything to you guys."

The Koffing smiled cruelly, "Oh, I'm sorry, who are you?"

He stepped forward, "I am Connor, and we're going to get that stone back!"

I added on, "It's really important to me!"

They looked at each other, and then back at us, and the Zubat mocked, "Important, you say? So this thing really is valuable, huh?"

The Koffing added, "It could be worth more than we'd hoped for, I'd say. We ought to try selling it. Who knows? It might get a good price. Whoa-ho-ho! All the more reason not to give it back!"

They both laughed, and I was shocked that these pokemon were laughing at our expense!

They quieted down, and the Zubat teased, "If you want it back that badly… Come and get it! Heh-heh-heh!"

Connor stepped next to me, "You take the Zubat. Rain fire on him to bring him to the floor; He's going to try to stay high and maybe use supersonic. If that hits you, you'll be out for a minute. I'll take the fat one."

I smiled slightly at that remark, then thought about what he said. _Rain fire… Let's do this!_

We all charged forward, Connor bellowing water, dousing the Koffing right out of the gate. The Zubat did exactly as Connor said: it flew straight up, "Nyeh, nyeh! Can't catch me!"

I lit my hand on fire, and swung with all my might. A fireball flew from my hand, and I laughed, "Yes! It worked!"

The Zubat dodged, the fireball hitting the ceiling above, and he laughed, "You call that an attack? Try this!"

His mouth opened wide, and I heard a strange noise that distorted my senses… Connor shouted, "Block it out, Vulcan!"

I heard rumbling, and I looked up at the Zubat. He stopped his supersonic, and a stalactite hanging from the ceiling came loose, and almost landed on the Zubat. It hit one of his wings, and he went spiraling into the ground.

I heard Connor shout to my left, "Toss me the Blast Seed!"

I grabbed it from my little satchel that I had made, and tossed it through the air. He munched down on it, and fire flew out of his mouth, straight into the Koffing. The gasses coming from its body exploded, and Connor used water gun to douse the fire before it enveloped the entire space.

The Koffing was barely floating, and Connor finished him with a tackle attack. He landed next to the Zubat, and moaned, "Owowow…"

"Ugh… We got roughed up…"

Koffing rolled and used his inertia to take to the air, and Zubat flapped his wings. One was damaged, so he was hovering kind of lopsided, and Koffing huffed, "B-blast it… How'd we lose to wimps like them?"

Zubat just scoffed, "Bah! Here you go. Take it, then!" He tossed my relic fragment to the ground in front of us, and the Koffing muttered, "Whoa-ho! Don't think that you're so awesome. Your victory was a fluke!"

"Yeah, you just remember that," Zubat shouted as they ran off.

I picked up the relic fragment and put it back around my neck. _How is the string not broken? I don't care, that was… Fun, surprisingly. Battling._

Connor saw a hole leading out to the ocean in the side of the cave, and he leapt into the water. He grunted, probably from the saltwater on his wound, "Come on, the beach is right around the corner."

I looked at the water, "No, thanks…"

He rolled his eyes, "The water won't kill you, Vulcan!"

I sighed, "Maybe… I despise it though."

He smirked, "Maybe it's because you're a fire-type? He faced the exit while treading the water, "Hop on my back. I know I can swim really well."

I hopped on hesitantly, holding my tail above the water, and he swam through the opening, and we circled back around to the beach.

I stepped onto the sand, and Connor shook the water off of himself, "So what was so important about that stone of yours?"

I looked at it, tied around my neck, then back at him, wondering if I could trust him… There were so many bad pokemon… But I decided to give him some credit for beating the snot out of that Koffing. "Um… Well, it was a gift, first… From Team Core."

The Mudkip looked confused, "Team Core?"

I nodded, "Yeah; Quint, Seth, Maris, and Lucerna! They live in Treasure town; Everybody knows them! Quint doesn't really like the attention, though. "

I quickly got back on topic, "Team Core had always been like my family. I never knew my real parents… One day, when I was really little, Maris pulled a box out from Kangaskhan storage. She opened it, and there was a mysterious stone inside. She said that it was a gift from my father, to me. She said that his last request was that I keep this safe. He said that it belonged to something, somewhere, and that only I could find it. That's why I want to be a famous explorer, solving mysteries of unknown lands, finding treasure troves massive enough to make the banker Duskull whine like a Growlithe. In reality, it'd be nice to find out where this goes. But… I needed to be apprenticed at Wigglytuff's Guild first. I went there earlier to sign up, but I wussed out…"

A light clicked in my head, "Say, Connor, what are you going to do now? You have amnesia, and somehow you turned into a Pokemon. Do you have anywhere to go?"

He sat there silently, so I continued, "If you don't, then can I ask you something? How about we make an exploration team? You and me? We worked really well together beating Koffing and Zubat, so what do you think? Please?"

He seemed to be in deep thought for a little while, but eventually nodded, "Alright."

I sort of sat there, dumbfounded, not expecting a yes, "You will? Awesome! Thank you! I know that we're going to be the best team in history, just you wait!"

Connor sat in the sand, and nodded, "Yeah... This Team Core… Can I meet them?"

I nodded, standing up from the sand and brushing myself off, "Of course! Quint and Maris always love meeting newcomers in Treasure Town!"

Connor seemed interested, so we both walked back up the path, this time taking a left at the crossroads to get back into Treasure Town.

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**Alrighty! I did my best introducing as many OC ideas as I could without changing the story up too much, so bear with me as the story progresses!**

**Also, if you haven't read Grovyle's story, it's on my profile. I'd suggest that you read it, because there's a lot of stuff in this story that ties into those. Although, if you haven't played the game yet, then you might not want to due to spoilers and stuff, but seven years after the game's come out... Yeah, you get it.**

**There's also going to be a file for my OCs as another story thing later, listing all their fighting stats and stuff like that. So... Yeah! Feel free to leave a quick review if you enjoyed, let me know if you want more. (I'll upload anyways) And PM me suggestions for OCs in the next stories to come if you want to see them!**

**-PS: The Viewer-submitted teams that appear in this story are Team Core and Team Virus. I will introduce Team Hope and the Pokemon Mafia Group, as well as any others submitted in the sequels to come. Much Love!**

**-PL**


	2. Team Firestorm's Ignition

**-Chapter 2: Team Firestorm's Ignition-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

We walked through Treasure town, and I introduced the basics to Connor. I pointed to the shops on my right, "We've got Duskull bank and Electivire's link shop to the right, and the Marowak Dojo and Chansey's Day Care to the left. Each one does what's in the name, except Electivire's shop… His shop is hard to explain. Besides, it doesn't look like he's there."

Connor absorbed all of the information, and I continued walking, across a small bridge, "And over here we have Kecleon Bros. Shop, Kangaskhan storage, and Xatu's appraisal."

Connor gestured to Kangaskhan's shop, and a Grovyle was standing in front of it, depositing items. "Who's that?"

I looked over to the Grovyle, "That's Basileus. He's one of the most renowned fighters on Immanis. He used to train at Marowak Dojo for hours a day, every day until it closed down. Something about the mystery dungeon containment unit fracturing, I think. Who knows?"

I walked up to Basileus, "Hey, Basileus!"

He turned to me, "Vulcan! How are you, my friend?"

I smiled, looking up to him, "Good! I'm doing good! I want you to meet my friend Connor!"

He knelt down to Connor, since he was on all fours, "It's a pleasure, lad. I'm Basileus, in case you didn't catch my name just a moment ago."

Connor seemed perplexed by the name, and when Basileus stood up, Connor turned to me, "I know that name…"

I looked at him, "You sure? He didn't seem to recognize you…"

Connor shook his head, a dazed look coming over him, "I don't know what I remember anymore… Let's meet Team Core."

I strode over to the third tent on the right of the Kecleon Bros. Shop, and I pushed aside the cloth concealing the entrance. I walked into the tent, and was greeted by Seth, "Hey, Vulcan! How've you been? We haven't seen you in awhile!" He was a Gallade, and second in command. Quint strode forward, his white fur glistening in the light, "Seth, he appears to have brought a guest. What is your name, foreigner?" He was an Absol, and the leader of Team Core.

Connor cleared his throat, "I'm Connor. Where is the rest of your group?"

Seth laughed, "How th' heck do you know how big our group is?"

Connor smiled, "Vulcan said four names. I only see two pokemon in here."

_Well then… He's observant, and learns really fast._

Quint seemed impressed, because he simply nodded while he looked to Seth. Quint took a deep breath, "Maris is checking the mission board, and Arceus knows where Lucerna went. Probably off in search of Team Virus again… She's going to get us in trouble one of these days."

I shrugged, then turned to Connor, "I'm sorry about all the names and new stuff all at once… It's not too much, right?"

Connor shrugged, observing everything with a straight face, "No… I'm good."

I sighed, "Good to know. I have to go gather my supplies from my base before we go sign up to be apprentices at Wigglytuff's Guild. New teams have to train there to make it official. You can just chat here with Team Core while I'm gone. I'll only be a minute!"

Connor nodded, and sat down on one of the four beds in the tent. Seth and Quint sat on the other ones, and I left the tent, and walked over to the cliff a few dozen meters left of Kangaskhan storage. I looked at the bush in the clearing overlooking the sea, and I moved it aside, revealing a staircase underneath that lead into the cliffside, called sharpedo bluff.

I walked down the stairs, not bothering to put the cover back on, because I would only be a moment. I had tubs and tubs of dried berries and orbs around, collected from Team Core. They gave me whatever they didn't need, so I always had tons of stuff. It was pretty neat. I checked my bed, and I sighed, "I'll have to visit this place often… If the guild training allows any time off."

I heard a loud thud that shook the roof of my chamber that overlooked the sea, and I walked back up the stairs, only to find a Tyranitar passed out in the clearing. I stepped out cautiously, and it rolled over, with a Galvantula on its stomach. They both stood up, groaning, and the Galvantula looked to the sky, seemingly in awe. "It's daytime… We made it, T!"

I cleared my throat, and they both looked at me silently. I broke the silence, "Who are you two?"

The Galvantula smirked, "Oh, sorry… Heh. I'm Galvantula, and this is Tyranitar. We're looking for a place to crash for a while until we can meet our friend in Treasure Town. You got any place that we can borrow? We'll leave it just the way it was, promise!"

The Tyranitar was huge, like, eight feet tall, but something about what they said threw me off, "You said it's daytime, and that you made it? What's that supposed to mean?"

The Galvantula smiled, scuttling up to me, "We were trying to find a place to settle down for a little bit before night hit. Blazed right through Treasure Town; Not a single tent up for rent or anything, so we kept moving and found this place, ironically! I promise we're not outlaws or nothin'. We ain't gonna wreck your stuff."

I glanced back, "I was about to go apprentice at Wigglytuff's Guild with my friend; You can use my place for now, I guess. Just don't break anything, and no stealing anything, either. I have everything stocked, and if anything's missing, we're going to have a problem."

The Galvantula hugged me with his two front arms, "Thanks, bruh! We owe you one!"

I grabbed my bag as they walked past, thanking me, and I couldn't help but giggle. _That Galvantula was so weird… Oh, well. They'd better not wreck my home._

I shouldered my bag and walked back to Team Core's tent, and Connor seemed to be chatting with Maris the Delcatty, who had returned from checking the mission board.

"-situation was the same as yours when I found him at the beach a few years ago."

I figured that she was talking about Quint; Those two were pretty romantically involved, everybody knew that, so I walked in, and Maris beamed excitedly, "Vulcan! It's so nice to see you again!"

She wrapped her tail around me in an embrace, and turned back to Connor, "So… You two are off to apprentice at the guild, right?"

I nodded, "That's right… How did you…"

Maris smiled, "Your friend told us about your plans to want to become like us some day… I admire that! You know what else that means? We might even be rivals some day!"

I liked that idea… Maris was always so nice to me… To anybody, in fact. But the entire team took a liking to me, specifically. Something about them…

I beckoned Connor out of the tent as the sun rose to be directly overhead, "We need to sign up early; We're going to need the sleep, if what Team Core has told me before is true. Guild training is supposedly super tough, and I want to be prepared, at least for the first day."

Connor nodded, and as we walked past Duskull bank, Connor broke the silence between us, "Team Core… They didn't ask about the hole in my chest."

I smiled, "They're usually the be nice first, ask questions later kind of team… We need to get that healed, though… That's got to sting a lot."

He shrugged, "It's fine now; It's callused over."

I couldn't help but admire this pokemon's toughness. But we still needed to get it healed.

We walked up to the Guild, up the stairs, and I looked up at it, still intimidated.

I turned to Connor, "This is Wigglytuff's Guild. We're going to train here and become a real deal exploration team!"

I stepped onto the grate, in spite of my fear, and the high voice echoed from the hole, "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

A low voice shouted back, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is Charmander's! The footprint is Charmander's!"

I was determined to stay put this time, but I found myself shaking on the grate.

After a moment I heard the voice shout, "You may ENTER! Someone's with you! So get that stranger to stand up THERE!"

I stepped off of the grate and turned to Connor, "I think they mean you, Connor."

Connor hesitated for a moment before the low voice shouted, "Hey, you! Stranger! Get on the GRATE!"

Connor stepped onto it, and the process repeated, except the high-pitched voice seemed sort of confused, "The footprint is… The Footprint is… Um…"

"What's the matter? Sentry? Sentry?! What's wrong, Sentry Diglett?!"

_So it's a Diglett? That's kind of fitting, I guess._

"Uhhh… Er… Ummm… The footprint is maybe Mudkip's! Maybe Mudkip's!"

"What?! MAYBE?!"

"It's not a footprint that you'd normally see around here…"

"Ugh! That's pretty crummy! Checking the footprints of visiting pokemon is your job, ISN'T it, Diglett?"

"Yes, but I don't know what I don't know…"

Connor's foot slipped into the holes between the bars, and he pushed himself up with his other arm while we waited for the argument to die down.

Soon afterwards, the low voice spoke up, "Sorry to make you WAIT. Well, it's TRUE that you don't see any Mudkip around these parts… But you don't SEEM to be bad… Good enough! You may ENTER!"

With a huge clash, the metal gate opened, and I beamed with excitement, my tail burning white hot from anticipation, "It's finally happening!"

Connor smiled with me and began walking forward, and I saw a ladder leading underground_._

We climbed down, and what I saw made me awestruck. There were maybe twelve pokemon in groups of threes and one group of four chatting and checking posters on boards against the wall.

I hopped up and down, "Are all of these pokemon exploration teams?"

"Excuse me!" We both turned, and saw a chatot walk up to us, "It was you two that just came in, right?"

I replied a little too quickly, "Y-yes!" I cursed the stutter that came with it. _Is this the Guildmaster? _

"I am Chatot, the pokemon in the know around these parts! I'm Guildmaster Wigglytuff's right hand pokemon! Now, shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salespeople or silly surveys! Off you go, if you please!"

I shook my head, "No, that's not why we're here! We wanted to train to be an exploration team, so here we are."

He squawked, "Wh-what?! Exploration team?!" He quickly turned around and muttered pretty loudly, "It's hard to see someone like this apprentice at the guild… Especially given how hard our training is! Surely the steady stream of Pokemon that run away from our rigorous training proves how true that is!"

I paused, "Um… Excuse me… Is the training really that tough?"

He turned around rapidly, "What?! Well, no! No, no, no! It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for Exploration teams is as easy as can be!" He smiled widely, and seemed to be cheery all of the sudden, "Well, well, well! I wish that you had told me up front that you wanted to be an exploration team! Hee-heeee!"

He turned, and Connor whispered, "Great, his mood swings on a dime…"

I stifled a laugh, and Chatot turned back to us, seeming to miss the previous statement, "Come along! Let's get your team signed up right away!" He went down another ladder, to another sublevel of the guild.

I saw a window with sunlight streaming through, so I asked, "How can we see outside if we're underground?"

He sighed annoyedly, as if he'd been asked this a hundred times before, "We are build into the side of a cliff, so it's only natural that we'd be able to see outside."

He stopped in front of a big wooden door with a lighter curl pattern on it, "On no account… I repeat, no account, should you be discourteous to our Guildmaster."  
Connor shifted uneasily, and my tail flame flickered slightly from my nervousness.

Chatot knocked on the door with his beak, "Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!"

We walked in, and there was a large circular carpet on the floor, and the Guildmaster was standing with his back turned to us.

"Guildmaster! I present to you the two pokemon that wish to join our guild as apprentices!"

There was no noise other than the crackle of the fires burning on the torches along the walls, and Chatot fidgeted with his wing, "Um… Guildmaster?"

Instantly, he turned around, "Hiya! I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the Guildmaster! You want to form an exploration team? Let's go for it! But first we need to register team name! What's your team name?"

It caught me by surprise, so I sort of stammered, "I-I didn't know that we-"

Wigglytuff grinned, "It's alright, friends! Take your time!"

I turned to Connor, "I really didn't even think about a name… What do you think we should be called?"

Connor replied after being in deep thought for a minute, "How about Team Firestorm?"

I couldn't help but smile at that name, "I love it!"

The Guildmaster chimed in, "All settled, then! I'll register your team as 'firestorm!' Registering! Registering! All registered… YOOM… TAH!" He raised his arms, and a flash of light lit up the room as bright as day.

I blinked the spots out of my eyes, and the Guildmaster grinned some more, "Congratulations! What's your names, friends?"

I gestured to myself, "I'm Vulcan, and this is Connor."

Wigglytuff smiled some more, "Nice to meet ya, friends! You're now an official exploration team! I present to you this in commemoration!"

He placed a small yellow box in front of us, and I read the label, "Pokemon exploration team starter kit?"

Wigglytuff nodded, patting his stomach with his little arms, "Yup! It's what every exploration team needs! Quick, open it up!"

I saw two bags, two badges and a rolled up map. "Wow, there's all sorts of good stuff in there!"

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot, "Chatot? Can you prepare Team Firestorm's living quarters? A hay bed for this Charmander simply won't do!"

Chatot nodded and hopped out of the room.

Wigglytuff leaned back, reclining in the air, "So, the badges, the badges! They're your ID and are used to rescue pokemon on missions! You guys get two wonder bags, because I really like you two! And there's two of you! They grow as you become more accomplished as a team, to hold more stuff! The wonder map draws itself in as you explore more, so you don't have to worry about mapping and all that! And the wonder bags are watertight when closed! Standard issue wonder bags for my new friends!"

I grabbed the wonder bags; One was a satchel, and the other was more of a backpack. Connor wanted the backpack, and when he grabbed it, his name was spelled out on the bag in golden lace. Connor. It looked pretty fancy, and when I looked to mine, it did the same thing. I laughed, "That's so cool!"

Wigglytuff chimed in again, "Open it up, Vulcan!"

I opened my satchel, and a dark blue bow was in the bag. Connor opened his pack, and a black scarf with green stripes was in there.

"These two items are special, exclusive to your team! That scarf will slow down your hunger level in dungeons, and the bow boosts your strength! They will help you on your adventures!"

"Thank you! We'll do our best," I shouted. _I did it… I finally did it..._

Wigglytuff smiled, "Well, you're apprentices for now, so do your best… To train!"

"We will!" I turned to Connor, "Let's do this!"

We both held up our badges, and I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

Chatot walked back in, "Team Firestorm, your living quarters are this way. Follow me!"

He lead us down a hallway to the left after exiting the Guildmaster's chamber, and all the way at the end, there was one hay bed and one bed from a flame-resistant wood covered with a psychic water spell. I smiled, "That's so cool! A water bed that's not actually water!"

I leapt onto it, and it was as comfy as my bed back at sharpedo bluff. I grinned, "How did you cast a water spell over it?"

Chatot hushed me, and didn't answer my question, "The other apprentices are sleeping! Please refrain from being this disruptive!"

I saw a window to my left, and I turned to Connor, making sure to get quieter, "I'm so excited!"

Connor nodded, and Chatot squawked, "You will live here while you are apprenticed; Get some rest, for training will start early tomorrow, and we do not get 'off days'! So rise early and start living up to our code! Try to get to sleep early tonight. And Connor?" He rolled over from his spot in the hay, eyeing the bird, and he continued, "That hole in your chest? We will get our medical officer on it first thing tomorrow. Any injuries cannot go untreated, especially one of… Of that magnitude."

He walked back down the hallway, muttering to himself, and I laid sideways, looking out the window at the moonlight washing over us. I laid like that, trying to get to sleep, but all the thoughts of what happened in such a short time made my brain to flips. There was no way I was sleeping right now.

After what felt like hours, I rolled over, "Hey, Connor, you still awake?"

He turned his head, blinking twice, "I am now… What's up?"

My tail flame cast a shadow across his face, but I cleared my throat, "I just can't believe that we're here. I finally worked up the courage, and I am so glad that I did. I thought that wigglytuff would be a bit more… Intimidating, but he's pretty nice. Even though I've heard how tough this training is, and I know that we will face challenges along the way, I'm ready for them."

He stared at me in silence, and I continued, a new question popping into my head, "How'd you come up with our team name, anyways?"

He shrugged, "Well… I remember a storm before you found me… And you're a fire type. When I told you to rain fire, and then that name popped into my head."

"That's really cool…" I suddenly stretched, letting out a yawn as my tail scraped against the dirt floor, "Well, now that that's out of my head… I'm tired… Goodnight, Connor." And I closed my eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly.

**-Connor's POV-**

I laid there silently, the only noise was the crackling of fire coming from Vulcan's tail.

_Wow… I'm suddenly apprenticed at a guild… It's pretty exciting to be an exploration team, and I like being friends with Vulcan, but first things first… Who am I? How did I turn into a Pokemon? And how did I get unconscious on that beach?_

I shook my head, and I glanced to my backpack that I received today, _Thinking about it won't help anything right now… I need to get to sleep. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually._

I curled up and closed my eyes.

* * *

**Yeeee! Chapter 2! I'm so excited to have it done! So, yeah. Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed, and if you want to see your OC in the sequels to come, PM me the description and all that! Much Love!**

**-PL**


	3. Small Steps

**-Chapter 3: Small Steps-**

**-Connor's POV-**

I was sleeping soundly, having finally fallen asleep last night, when suddenly my ears broke, "HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE, PRINCESS!"

I shook my head, my eyes still closed, "Gah!"

"Why are you still ASLEEP?! WAKE UP!"

I shot bolt upright, my ears ringing, and Vulcan shook his head, "Talk about a wake-up call…"

I got a clear look at the pokemon shouting at us, and it was fairly large, purple skinned, with a mouth that could swallow a watermelon whole.

"Snap out of it! I'm Loudred, a fellow apprentice, and self-designated alarm for any ROOKIES that decide to sleep past the morning CHEER! You'd better HURRY! Guildmaster Wigglytuff has a BIG temper, so if you make him lose it… YOWEE! That's scary just thinking about it!"

He seemed to shake a horrifying image out of his head, and continued, "ANYWAYS, I'm not getting in TROUBLE because you ROOKIES were late! SO GET IT IN GEAR!"

I buried my head in the hay, and Vulcan rolled out of bed, and fell over, "My ears are broken…"

I groped at my head, "You're tellin' me…"

Vulcan continued, "What was he talking about…? Something about getting ready?"

I shot straight up, my chest exploding into even worse pain than my ears, "We apprenticed here yesterday!"

Vulcan looked at me, "That means…!"

We both said in unison, "We overslept!"

We both dashed to the main room, where the apprentices were lined up. Loudred shouted, "You're late, ROOKIES!"

We stood in line, and Chatot shushed him, "Your voice is too loud, Loudred!"

The purple pokemon humphed, and Chatot continued, "Everyone seems to be present… Very well! We will conduct the morning address! Guildmaster! The Guild seems to be in perfect attendance!"

Wigglytuff walked out of his room with his usual smile, eyes wide open, and Chatot smiled, "Thank you Guildmaster! Please address the crew!"

We all turned our attention to the pink fluffball, but when we did so, he seemed to be… Snoring? There were murmurs from the other apprentices.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me!"

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Looks like he's wide awake!"

"Eek! But he's asleep! With his eyes open!"

Chatot continued to act as if this was a normal occurrence, "Thank you sir, we value your... words of wisdom!" He turned back to us, "Alright, Pokemon! Take our Guildmaster's words to heart! Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!" I shook my head in confusion, _Morning cheers?_

Chatot continued, his tail flicking to a beat, "A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three!"

The other apprentices said in unison, "ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot applauded with his wings, "Alright Pokemon, let's get to work!"

We all raised our badges and cheered, "HOORAY!" Before wandering off to do missions, or whatever posts they had around the guild.

Vulcan turned to me, "So… What are we supposed to do? We weren't ever told what was going to-"

Chatot fluttered over to us, "Connor, your wound is worse than yesterday… Let's fix that! Follow me!"

I shrugged, not really arguing, "Alright…"

Chatot took us to a room that was hidden behind some vines, with a Chimecho floating throughout the room, using psychic to move tools around.

Chatot smiled, "Chimecho! This Mudkip needs medical attention!"

The Chimecho was a female, its high-pitched voice sounding like bells slightly, "Will do! Thanks, Chatot!"

She gestured to a mat on the floor, and I laid there. She floated over me, "Oh my goodness, your chest! How are you walking after such an injury?!"

I humphed, "It's not that bad, right?"

She chided me, "Oooh, it's way worse than you think. I can see straight through your center mass! That would kill most pokemon that went untreated!"

Vulcan looked nervous, and I smiled until Chimecho actually touched it. I shouted in pain, and she floated backwards, "Hold on, honey… You need a reviver seed..."

She pulled out a plain yellow seed with a pink dot on the center of it, and placed it in the wound. Immediately, my skin began stretching over the hole, and before long, it was just a pale scar. I threw up the seed in a torrent of water, and Chimecho threw it out using her psychic, "There! All better! Reviver seeds are infinitely useful!"

I thanked her, and stood up. My chest felt fine now, and Chatot walked back in after a little while, "Alright, you two! Time for your first mission!"

We followed chatot, climbed the ladder to the second level of the guild, and he walked to one of the boards with notes posted all over it.

Chatot plucked one off with his beak, mumbling, "You're just beginners, so we'll start you off with this assignment…"

He handed it to Vulcan, since I didn't exactly have any thumbs, and continued, "This is the job bulletin board. Pokemon from all over Immanis post jobs here for us to do! You're aware of the massive outbreak of outlaws, correct?"

I realized that the question was towards Vulcan, and he nodded, "Yeah; Something about time going all out of whack, right?"  
Chatot nodded, "You would be correct, although I wouldn't use those words exactly… In addition… It is unknown if this is due to time's influence, but there has also been a mass outbreak of… Mystery dungeons."

I shook my head slightly, pawing the ground. _Time is out of whack? As in minutes and seconds? What is going on in this world?_

Another question popped into my head, "What are mystery dungeons?"

Vulcan placed a hand on my back, "You know where we got my relic fragment back? That's a mystery dungeon. They're mysterious places that seal themselves until you reach the end. If you're defeated by any of the wild pokemon, then you get kicked out and lose half your items and money. It's pretty risky, but that's where all the missions on the boards take place."

He unfolded the note, and read it aloud.

"_Hello! My name is Spoink!"_

"_An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession. My precious pearl! That pearl is life itself… To me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in proper place atop my head! But I've heard that my pearl has been sighted! It's on a rocky bluff! But I also heard that this bluff is extremely unsafe! I could never go somewhere go frightening! Oh, friendly readers, would you be so kind as to go to the bluff and get my pearl? I beg your help, Exploration team members!"_

Vulcan's hands began glowing, so I took the paper in my mouth before he burnt it to ash. He grunted, "What's this? We have to go get some item that a pokemon lost? I mean, I know that we're not super experienced, but do we have to do this? When I think of Exploration teams, I think of actually… Exploring unknown places, uncovering ancient treasures, that sort of thing."

Chatot hushed him, "It's important that you rookies pay your dues! Now, pay attention! I'll repeat the warnings to make sure that they stick! You'll both be sent out of the dungeon, back here if either one of you faints! You'll lose half of your money, and half, maybe more, of your items! I'd suggest being careful! Now, if you've understood all that, get on with it!"

I nodded, "Yes, sir. Let's go, Vulcan."

We both exited the guild, and when we reached the crossroads, Vulcan walked over to the well in the corner. A book and quill floated up, and he picked it up, "An adventure log… That's so cool…"

He scribbled some writing down in it, and he put it back in the water. It vanished, and we looked at the wonder map after I spread it on the ground. "Alright… So Drenched Bluff is… Where?"

I pulled out the job from my backpack, and Vulcan read it again, making sure to keep cool, literally, and he pointed to a spot on the map right below a weird waterfall, "Here. The mission says it's here."

I nodded, and rolled the map up, putting it in a slot in my backpack that fit it perfectly.

We began walking, and along the way, I put the Stamina band- That's what Vulcan called it, anyways- Around my head finr. I hated being hungry, that much I remembered from being a human. Vulcan pulled off the blue bow pretty well, wearing it around his neck too. Blue and Orange… They match surprisingly well.

When we arrived, Vulcan held up the job description, "Spoink's note says that it's on the seventh floor."

I shrugged, "No time like the present to get it done!"

When we went in, there were enemy pokemon like lileep, along with Chingling, Anorith and Shellos. Most of them only knew normal-type attacks, with the exception of Anorith knowing mud sport, so Vulcan wasn't too scared. It just threw mud everywhere. It didn't do much more than just tick us off.

Vulcan learned smokescreen on his way through, which would be helpful in the future against tougher enemies.

The enemies weren't too tough; We sent most of them packing with little effort. We both quickly found out how useful the Treasure bags were. We found three oran berries, a couple blast seeds, and a few new seeds. Vulcan said that they were sleep seeds and heal seeds. One was grey with blue wavy lines, the other was green, like and under-ripe apple.

We stashed those in our wonder bags, which we found out shared a pocket dimension of sorts, so whatever we found, either one of us could pull out of our bags.

I smiled, "That's useful."

We found a big apple, which I gave to Vulcan. I heard his stomach growling, and my stamina band helped me stay full longer, so he scarfed it down after crisping it up over his tail flame.

Soon, our treasure bags were full, and we reached the bottom of the dungeon where Spoink's pearl was. We picked it up and the dungeon warped us back to the entrance of the Guild.

When we got back, Spoink was already in the guild waiting for us. How, I don't know. He accepted the pearl and placed it atop his head, "Oh, thank you! That pearl must be propped on my head, you see. I missed it so much! I just couldn't settle down without it up there, so I was just boinging and sproinging everywhere! But thanks to you, that long nightmare is over! You have my sincere thanks!"

He handed us three little bottles, a protein, calcium, Iron, and a huge bag of… Vulcan flipped out, "Whoa! 2,000 Poké!? All this is for us?"

The Spoink nodded, "Of course! Of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value! Farewell!"

He sprung up the ladder, leaving us as Chatot glided in, "Well done, team! Now, hand over that money, if you'd please!"

I stood there, shocked, "Huh?"

Chatot sifted through the coins, "Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see. And your team's share of the money comes down to this much… He handed us a small pile, and Vulcan whined, "Wha-?! Only 200 Poké? That's not fair!"  
"Well, that's the guild's rule. You'll simply have to accept it."

After he flew off to the lower levels with the bag of money, Vulcan sighed, "Should have figured… Only ten percent."

I sat down next to him, "Hey, look on the bright side of things. We got some awesome power boosting potion things! They could be useful!"

He seemed bummed out, "Yeah… I guess."

I stood up, "C'mon, let's go talk to Team Core."

He smiled slightly at that prospect, "Alright."

We walked up the ladder, and Sunflora, one of the apprentices here, called up to us, "Hey, dinner is in about an hour! You don't want to miss that!"

We both nodded, and walked into Treasure town, deposited our money with Duskull, and went to talk to Team Core.

We walked into the tent, and this time I saw a Volcarona, a huge, white, legless insect pokemon with orange wings and blue insectoid eyes on one of the beds. It rolled over, "Who's that, Quint?"

The Absol eyed me, "Ah, Connor! Vulcan! How was the first day of guild training?"

Vulcan sighed, "We only get ten percent of the reward money… Is it like that for you guys?"

Seth laughed so hard, he sat down, "Oh, gosh, Vulcan, you don't know the half of it… We only get ten percent of the reward even now, but when you get rewards like 8,000 Poké for a star 7 rank outlaw, 800 is a pretty big haul, so it's not all that bad, especially when you start tackling several missions at once. Did Chatot give you some seemingly insubstantial item fetching mission for your first assignment?"

I nodded, and the Volcarona humphed, "I don't like the guild rules. Never did."

It was a female from its voice, and Quint chimed in, "Yeah… First days are tough for any team, especially one consisting of unevolved pokemon like you guys… No offense."

Vulcan smiled, "None taken."

The Delcatty, Maris, purred, "Well, Vulcan… You'll get to capturing big-name outlaws eventually! You need to stay strong!"

I saw him thinking about this statement, and I tapped his shoulder with my head fin, "Hey, Maris is right. We need to stay strong. We can't just quit, Vulcan."

He nodded, "Yeah… Getting thanked by spoink was what really made my day anyways… I can't believe I got distracted by money."

Seth laughed and hopped down off of his bunk bed, "Don't you worry, lad. Money is something that can be earned, found, whatever. It's not important. You have a good heart, Maris sensed that in you. You're capable of great things, especially with this Mudkip. Connor, was it?"

I nodded, and his eyes grew bigger, "Ah, I see that Chimecho healed your wound. How were you able to walk with that hole goin' through you?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. It didn't really bother me."

The Volcarona, whose name I deduced was Lucerna, whistled, "Impressive, little pokemon. Your strength is astounding."

I smiled sheepishly, "Thanks…"

Vulcan's tail lit even brighter, and Corphish dashed into the tent, scaring the crap out of me and Vulcan. Quint's horn glowed, and Maris had yellow stars glowing and floating above her head, and he raised his pincers, "Hey, hey, hey! Sorry for the intrusion, Team Core, but Chatot sent for you two!" He pointed to Vulcan and I, "Connor, Vulcan, dinner is about ready, so come on!"

We both looked at each other, "Food…" and took off after Corphish.

After a delicious meal of oran berries and apples, the guild members filed off, going to sleep.

I laid on my hay bed, staring at the shadows cast along the wall from Vulcan's tail, making dancing shadows along the walls.

He obviously couldn't sleep, because I kept hearing him rustling, and he turned, "Hey, Connor… Today was pretty major, wasn't it? We did our first mission, first try. Nothing I would really consider a huge success, but I'm glad we pulled it off. The whole money thing made me a little upset, but after that talk with Team Core, and I actually think about it… Hearing Spoink's thanks really made my day. He yawned, "I'm actually tired… We should probably sleep too. Let's have a great day tomorrow. G'night."

"Goodnight, Vulcan."

* * *

**A'ight. Chapter 3, people! The first mission! I think it went pretty well, but feel free to let me know how you think it went with a quick review or PM! **

**Once again, spoilers for the story of the game are imminent, so if you haven't played it yet, and are planning to, I'd suggest not reading my story yet! **

**Anywho, if you have any OC ideas that you want to see in any sequels to come, PM me the descriptions! The template is on my profile. Much Love!**

**-PL**


	4. Big Steps

**-Chapter 4: Big Steps-**

**-Connor's POV-**

UP AND AT 'EM, SLOWPOKES! IT'S MORNING!

The shout shattered the darkness I was floating in, and I awoke with a ringing pain again. Vulcan and I walked to the morning briefing, and cheered the thing sort of half-heartedly. We didn't exactly care for the wake-up system that they ran here.

Everybody filed off to whatever it was that they were doing for the day, and I turned to Vulcan, "So… What do we do now?"

Chatot flew over to us, "Oh, you two! Still lost, I see. Well, follow me."

Vulcan started to speak, but I shushed him and followed Chatot. We followed him to the first floor of the Guild, or the upper levels, as he called it, and lead us to the mission board. I noticed something was different, and Vulcan pointed it out before I could pinpoint what it was, "Say… We did a mission from that side yesterday…"

Chatot nodded, "Mmhm?"

Vulcan continued, "What's different about this side?"

Chatot smiled, "I'm glad you asked! Take a look!"

I looked closely at the posters, and I shrugged, "There's pictures of pokemon on these posters… Are they missing pokemon?"

He shook his head, "No, no… The pokemon you see here are outlaws. Shady characters, wanted for committing crimes."

"Oh…"

Chatot nodded, "There are bounties on their heads. In other words, there's a cash reward if you capture one. There are so many aggressive pokemon around nowadays that everyone's finding it hard to keep up with the problem."

Vulcan's eyes grew wide, his tail flame flickering slightly brighter, "Wait, WE have to capture outlaws? You make it sound impossible!"

He cheerily squawked, "Just joking! The bad pokemon out there come in all shades of badness. Some are completely wicked, through and through, but there's also bad pokemon who are merely petty thieves. So, you've got evil to naughty, and everything in between! I'm sure we can avoid giving you a job catching a superbad pokemon… So look over these posters and pick a pokemon that looks weak enough for you to bring to justice."

Vulcan was sort of shaking, and I turned to him, "What's wrong, Vulcan?"

He stammered, "I-I'm just not entirely comfortable doing this…"

_He looks deathly afraid… I wonder why that is… He's not telling me something. _I shrugged, _whatever. He'll get over it. _

Chatot placed a wing on his shoulder, "It's all part of your training. You'll work through it, I'm sure. But I suppose that you do need to be prepared to confront a tough opponent… So I'll have someone give you a tour of the Facilities." Chatot turned and called out, "Hey! Bidoof! Bidoof?!"

With a "Yup yup" Bidoof climbed up the ladder and huffed over to us, "You called?"

"Ah, Bidoof. These are the new recruits that just joined us. Take them and show them around town."

"Yes sirree! By golly, I'll do just that, yup yup!"

Chatot turned back to us, "This is Bidoof. He is one of your fellow apprentices. I want you to pay close attention to what Bidoof has to say and follow his orders. Off you go!"

He flew down the ladder, and Bidoof looked like he was about to cry, "Aw, shucks! I'm overjoyed!"

Vulcan seemed interested, "Why's that?"

He explained that until we showed up, he was the newest member of the guild. Be he pulled himself together, "Well, I'd best show you around. Come with me, please!"

He led us around the guild, showing us all there was to see, then he showed us around Treasure Town, telling us the names of all the shops, and Vulcan explained what each one did again, for a refresher.

Bidoof seemed impressed, "How long have you lived 'round these parts, Vulcan?"

He smiled, "My entire life, I think. I just love the entire atmosphere here."

He smiled, "You two… Alright, come find me when you're ready to go, and I'll give you a helping hand finding the right outlaw for you two to take down!"

I nodded, "Thanks, Bidoof. You've been a real help."

He blushed a bit, "Aw, shucks! You're embarrassing me…" He shook it off and continued, "I'll be waiting for you in the guild's upper floor."

He turned and walked back to the guild.

Vulcan grabbed a small purple bag and gave it to Duskull at the bank, "I'd like to withdraw all of my poké."

After we stored some items in the Kangaskhan storage, we walked back to the Market.

The two brothers greeted us with an english accent… How do I know what that is?

"Welcome to Kecleon Market! We have the finest goods and wares on this side of Immanis! How may we help you today?"

Vulcan bought two reviver seeds and a blue candy-looking item, and the green Kecleon said, "That will be 2,400 poké!"

He handed them the stack of golden coins, stashed the two seeds in his wonder bag, and handed me the candy, "It's a gummi. Try it."

I nibbled on the end of it, and immediately, my mouth watered at the deliciousness, "Oh my gosh…"

Vulcan laughed, "I know, right? They're blue gummies, specifically for water types. My favorite gummies are the Red ones, for Fire Types. We can only afford so many of those, though. They're 800 poké apiece."

I coughed on the bite I took out of the candy, "That's really expensive!"

He smiled, "Worth it though. I wish you could see your face when you tried it. It was priceless!"

I heard a kid shout from my right, "Misters Kecleon!"

I turned and saw a marill and Azurill dart up to the counter, "Ah, little Marill and Azurill! Welcome, my young friends!"

Azurill spoke up, "Hello! May I buy an apple?"

He nodded, "Oh, most certainly!" The Azurill gave him one golden coin, and he gave the little tyke a small bag, which I presumed held the apple. The Marill took it, since Azurill didn't have any arms that I saw, "Thank you, misters Kecleon!"

The green Kecleon heartily laughed, "No, thank you, my young friends! You are to be admired!"

They ran off back the way they came, and I turned back to the Kecleon, "Those two…?"

"You see, those delightful boys are brothers," Kecleon explained, "Just like my brother and I. Lately, their poor mother has fallen sick. So these youngsters come and do the shopping for her. It's quite remarkable. Though very young, they've stepped up and taken charge."

The Marill dashed back to the counter, "Misters Kecleon!"

"Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

Azurill hopped onto its tail to see above the counter, "There was an extra apple!"

The Marill handed one back over the counter, "We didn't pay for this many."

The Kecleon rolled it back to him with a smile, "That, my young friends, is a gift from me and my brother. Please, share it amongst yourselves and enjoy!"

_Ugh… A bit too mushy for my taste._

Marill smiled, "Really?!"

Azurill cheered, "Thank you, Mr. Kecleon and Mr. Kecleon!"

He waved, "Oh, not to worry, my friends! Do take care on your way home!"

Vulcan smiled, "What nice kids…"

The Azurill tripped soon after they began going back, and the apple rolled back, right in front of me. I picked it up with my two front hands, and offered it to the Azurill, "Here, you dropped this."

"W-we're sorry to bother you. Thank you so much."

He took it, and my hand brushed against his tail as he bounced it onto his head. My vision immediately darkened, and pulsed in and out. I got dizzy, and everything around me began getting slower. I heard a noise like a sword being unsheathed, *Shiiiiing!* followed by a flash of light. After that, I heard a lone voice in the darkness. "H-h-h… HELP!"

My vision came back, and Marill was calling Azurill over as if nothing had happened.

My jaw dropped open, _What was that?! That voice… It sounded like…_

Vulcan tapped my shoulder, "Hey, you alright, Connor?"

I nodded, "Yeah… D-Did you just hear a shout for help?"

Vulcan looked around, then back to me, "No…" He turned to the Kecleon Bros., "Did either of you hear a shout for help?"

Both of them shook their heads, the Green one replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Vulcan turned to me, "You sure you weren't just daydreaming or something?"

I shook my head in confusion, _No… That voice, I didn't imagine it. That voice… There's no doubt about it! That was Azurill's scream!"_

Vulcan let out a slight chuckle, "Relax, it was in your head, Connor. Let's head back to the guild."

On our way back, I saw Marill and Azurill talking to a yellow and brown pokemon. They seemed to be pretty excited about something.

I heard Marill say, "Thank you!"

The yellow pokemon replied, "Please, it's nothing!"

We walked up, and Vulcan asked, "What's going on?"

Marill explained that they lost an important item and that Drowzee, the pokemon they were talking to, had claimed to have seen it.

"He even offered to help us look for it! We're so happy about this," Marill finished happily.

Vulcan smiled, "That's great, you two!"

Azurill turned back to the yellow pokemon, "Thanks, Mr. Drowzee!"

He just smiled warmly, "Oh, please… I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore kids in need! I can't turn a blind eye! Let's get searching, you two!"

Both brothers replied, "Yup!"

They both ran around me, and Drowzee stumbled, bumping into me, "Whoops, I'm so sorry. Excuse me, sir."

I started to get dizzy again, and Vulcan's voice broke through, "That Drowzee sure is nice. It's hard to do good around here unless you're an exploration team. It's good to see somebody trying to make a difference."

Everything went dark again. With the same flash of light and *Shiiiing!* I was on top of a mountain. I saw Drowzee cornering the Azurill, with Marill nowhere in sight, "If you keep being difficult, it will mean big trouble for you!"

"H-h-h… HELP!"

The vision faded, and I fell to the floor. Vulcan helped me up, "Hey, you alright, Connor? You just passed out and crumpled to the floor like a sack of berries!"

I shouted, "We need to go!"

He stood up, stifling a chuckle, "Go? What's gotten into you?"

I slowly regained my composure, "Vulcan… Earlier, when I heard that scream, I had some sort of Dizzy spell thing. I had another one just after Drowzee bumped into me, except this time, a vision came with it. I saw Drowzee threatening Azurill at the top of a mountain, and he let out the same scream I heard earlier! I think Azurill is in danger! We have to go after them right away!"

Vulcan took a deep breath, seeming to be in deep thought, his tail flame turning a shade of green, "Well, that sounds like an emergency, but- And it's not that I don't trust you- it does seem a little bit out there. Drowzee seemed like an honest to goodness pokemon. Maybe you're just stressed out or something."

I shook my head trying to explain, but Vulcan made some sense. Drowzee didn't seem like a bad pokemon, but I couldn't shake a bad feeling about this.

"Besides, we're only two days experienced. We can't just run off whenever we want. Chatot would probably make us skip dinner or something. We need to head back to the guild and check in with Bidoof."

I sighed, "Alright…"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

_What's gotten into him? That Drowzee's been living in Treasure Town for a while now; He was always helping out wherever he could. He seriously didn't seem like the kind of pokemon to be a villain._

We walked back to the crossroads, and I walked over to the well. A book with 'Team Firestorm' written on the cover floated up out of the water, along with a pen. I wrote down everything that happened today, and closed it. It threw itself back into the well, and we went back to the guild, meeting up with Bidoof on the mission floor.

"You all ready?"

We both nodded, and I stepped to the board.

_Let's see… Shelgon? Too tough. And it's a dragon-type. Drifblim? No… Machoke, no thanks…_

Bidoof spoke up, "Ahem, as your mentor, how about I do the choosing?"

I smiled, "Don't go picking anybody too tough."

He nodded, "Yes siree, I hear you! Let's see, eenie, meenie…"

Suddenly, a loud chiming noise went off, and I heard a voice, "Stand clear! Updating listings! Stand clear! Updating listings!"

The ground began to shake, but Bidoof seemed as calm as when he first looked at the board.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, the data's getting updated."

With a loud clack, the panel flipped over.

While we were waiting, Bidoof explained that it was a Dugtrio that updated the boards by tunneling behind them and flipping the panels to update the postings.

We heard the alarm again, and the Dugtrio's voice shouted, "Update competed! Stand clear! Update completed! Stand clear!"

The panel flipped back over, and I skimmed through the outlaw list. Bidoof began talking, but I didn't hear him over my anger.

I turned to Connor, trembling from rage, "Connor… Look! Top left!"

* * *

_**Dun dun duuun! Who could it be? Hmmmm? Most of you probably know, but whatever. It's cool. Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed, and I will see you in the next update! Much love! **_

_**-PL**_


	5. Center of the Firestorm

**-Chapter 5: Center of the Firestorm-**

**-Connor's POV-**

I glanced at the upper left corner of the outlaw board, and I gasped in shock.  
"Th-that means…"

It was a picture of Drowzee. The same one that we had just talked to. Ends up he was wanted in two regions for con mastery and deception.

Vulcan shouted, his arms bursting into flames, "You were right! Drowzee's actually an outlaw! We have to move, Azurill's in danger!"

We both darted up the ladder, leaving Bidoof thoroughly confused.

When we came to the crossroads, we ran into Marill, who looked scared and worried.

I ran up, "Marill, what happened?"

Marill explained that he wound up all alone when Drowzee went ahead with Azurill, "I called and called, but they didn't come back. I got scared…"

Vulcan pressed, his tail burning white hot, "Where are they?"

Marill stuttered, "Th-this way!" Marill started leading us out of town.

We were sprinting through the fields as fast as we could, and I hoisted Marill onto my back so we could go faster. I carried him like it was nothing.

Vulcan ran so fast, occasionally he would turn _into _a fireball and _fly_ through the air for a moment before returning into a Charmander.

_I have never seen him so angry… Why is he suddenly so serious?_

We kept running, and Marill shouted, "There! That mountain!"

He rolled off of my back as we stopped, and I looked him in the eye, "You're sure they went in there?"

Marill nodded, almost in tears, "Y-yes…"

Vulcan turned to me, "Connor, your dream… You saw them in a mountain area, right?"

I nodded, "That's right…"

Vulcan nodded, "Then hurry up!"

I sighed, "Sorry about Vulcan… He's not normally like this."

I followed him into the dungeon, and the rocks sealed behind us, marking a mystery dungeon.

I caught up to Vulcan, who was already really far ahead, "Hey, Vulcan, don't go blaming yourself. He had everybody fooled."

He gritted his teeth, still sprinting, "You warned me, and I didn't believe you. How is that not my fault?"

I kept sprinting, munching on a quick seed, a black seed with yellow electric marks on it to keep up with Vulcan. He moved like a rapidash, a trail of fire behind him.

I shouted, "It doesn't matter; It's not, Vulcan."

He nodded, and he simply blazed through any wild pokemon in our path. I followed by taking care of any geodude that weren't knocked out from his flames with a water gun attack, and before long, we made it to the final floor. I heard the shout from my visions, "H-h-h… Help!"

Vulcan rushed forward, "Stop, Drowzee!"

Drowzee turned around, and Azurill backed into the corner, facing the wall.

"You're not going to get away with this!"

He started to back up, "H-How did you find this place?!"

I shouted, "We are team firestorm! An exploration team! No outlaw can escape us!"

"An exploration team?! You came to apprehend…" He glanced at Vulcan, who was visibly trembling, huffing through his mouth, which was wreathed in fire, and he raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Are you… Trembling?"

Vulcan didn't reply, just kept shaking, and the Drowzee smirked, "A-ha! I've figured it out! You say you're an exploration team, but you're total rookies!"  
I glanced to Vulcan, and it didn't take much to tell that he was really mad…

Drowzee gloated, "Heh. That's right. I'm a wanted pokemon with a bounty on my head. How much is it now? Three thousand, four thousand poké? No matter; Can you two do the job? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice? I've been chased by all sorts of exploration teams in my day, but never a sorrier-looking bunch than you two. This should be fun. Show me what you've got!"

Vulcan didn't even hesitate before he launched a fireball from his mouth. I was caught off guard, but Drowzee simply stepped to the side and used confusion to circle it around his head and launch it right back at us. We leapt to the side, and Drowzee chuckled, "Come on, that's the best you've got?"

I dashed forward, and used tackle, but he took the attack without even flinching. He knocked me aside, and Vulcan dashed forward with a fire punch. He blocked it with a psychic barrier, and knocked Vulcan back to the ground. He lit his hands on fire and began throwing fireballs, but the Drowzee deflected them with confusion. He stepped forward casually, and I used water gun at point blank range, but he shrugged it off, "I'm done here. You two are pathetic."

I backed away, and Vulcan leapt onto him, and bit down with fiery fangs onto the back of his neck. He shouted in pain and threw Vulcan over his shoulder, "You'll pay for that!"

Vulcan followed up with a fiery uppercut, sending Drowzee toppling backwards. He stumbled, but didn't fall, shaking the attack off, and walking forward again, "You two can't win."

I felt a strange sensation in my stomach, like the tug of a giant magnet or something… I focused, and the ground began rumbling all around me. Drowzee stumbled, and I roared, "ANCIENT POWER!"

The ground heaved up, boulders floating around Drowzee, and I felt my energy controlling them, I slammed the stones into the ground around him, entombing him. He shattered the stones with a body slam, and I shot another stone from my side straight into him. It hit his stomach, and he hunched over, Vulcan following up with a fiery punch. He toppled backwards, but then his eyes began glowing, "CONFUSION!"

I felt myself being picked up, and I was slung into the wall, helpless. Vulcan used ember, a somewhat powerful flame attack, but Drowzee raised a barrier, blocking the attack. I was slammed into the floor, then back into the wall again…

_Man… He's a lot tougher than I thought…_

**-Vulcan's POV-**

After he used confusion on Connor, I had to break his hold on him. I tried attacking, but he just raised a barrier when I tried anything!

I launched another ember attack, but he shrugged it off without even looking at me. I growled, "Let him go!"

Drowzee smirked, "Whatever you say."

Connor dropped from twenty feet in the air, and hit the ground with a sickening thud. I saw his treasure bag open, and a Reviver seed flew out, spreading its healing roots over his cuts and bruises.

His attention turned to me, "Come on, hero. Let's see what you're made of…"

I opened my treasure bag, and pulled out a quick seed. I bit into it, and felt an unimaginable boost of speed. I dashed forward faster than he could react, and I kicked him with my foot, my clawed toes cutting a gash in his stomach. He stumbled backwards, and I smacked him with my tail, leaving a nasty burn on his cheek. I followed up with a leap, and I used fire punch to deck him. He rolled over, breathing heavily, "Alright… That was a good try... My turn."

He dashed forward, but was easy to dodge. I leapt to the side, and he grabbed me with his confusion attack. _Uh-oh…_

I caught a glimpse of Connor, and he was up again, and making a beeline for Drowzee. He shouted menacingly, and a huge part of the cliff behind us separated from the wall, floating through the air slowly. Drowzee looked up for a moment before releasing me and taking off. Connor dropped the cliff, and Drowzee got crushed underneath a metric ton of stone.

When the dust cleared, there was only a pile of rubble as big as the cliff that Connor dropped.

Connor hoisted the boulders off of Drowzee, and gave him the second reviver seed.

I shouted, "Hey! Those are expensive!"

Connor calmly replied, "And I'm not going to murder a pokemon if I can help it. And I can."

I gritted my teeth, "Fine…"

Connor eyed me, "What has you so ticked off at him?"

I sighed, seriously confused as to where my anger had come from, "I don't know… I just… am."

Connor didn't press for details, which I was relieved about, and he darted over to Azurill, "Hey, it's us, Team Firestorm. You remember us? We're here to help!"

The little guy quickly darted over to us, and I said, "Your big brother's waiting. Let's get you home!"

Azurill followed us as Connor carried drowzee on his back. I held his backpack for now, and I turned to him, relieved that Azurill was safe, "So… When'd you learn ancient power?"

He smiled, "I dunno… It just sort of… came out of nowhere, I guess."

When we arrived at the base of the mountain, two Magnetons and a Magnezone were waiting for us.

Connor asked, perplexed, "Law enforcement?"

I nodded, "Yup. Marill must've told them."

The two Magneton floated around Drowzee, and made a barrier of electricity, and the reviver seed finished its work as Drowzee snapped wide awake, "NO!"

He tried to use confusion, but the Magnetons zapped him, *ZZZT! You are being held in custody, Drowzee! ZZZT! Now, come with us. ZZZT!*

Drowzee groaned, but had no choice due to the electric barrier.

The Magnezone turned to us, floating in the air, *Team Firestorm, thanks to you, we have been able to arrest a wanted outlaw. ZZZT! We owe you a great thanks for your cooperation! We will send the reward to your guild. Thank you again! ZZZT!*

I heard Marill to my left, "Azurill!"

We turned, and Azurill bound over to his brother, "Marill!"

After a truly heartwarming moment, Marill and Azurill both thanked us, "We won't forget what you did for us. Thank you so much, Connor and Vulcan!"

I nodded, "Any time, Marill."

Azurill thanked us next, "Thank you very very much! Thank you for rescuing me!"

Marill finished, "Really… Really, thank you!"

We both watched the brothers walk away, and Connor and I pressed our badges together, "Let's get back to the guild."

We were warped back to the entrance of the guild, and somehow the sun had begun setting already.

When we went down, Chatot was waiting for us at the outlaw board.

"I received the bounty from Officer Magnezone for the captured outlaw. Well done, you two! Here's your share for the job. It's yours to keep!"  
He handed us 300 Poké…

Connor spoke up this time, "All that hard work, and this is all we get? C'mon, Chatot… How about fifteen percent? C'mon..."

"It's all part of the training! It is guild policy, Connor. I apologize if this seems unfair, but it's simply the way it has to be! And I expect just as much effort tomorrow!"

After he left, I looked around, then sat down at the table in the far corner of the room, "I'd be really happy if our reward was a little bit bigger… But I guess it's alright. We rescued Azurill, and gave that Drowzee what was comin' to him! And really, it's only because of that vision you had that we were able to find them in time."

Connor sat down and tried to cross his arms, but they were too short. He gave up, and said, "That's true… But how was I able to see something in the future?"

My stomach growled, and I smirked, "Sorry about that…"

Then Connor's stomach growled too. I laughed, "Ha! That Stamina band 'round your neck, and you're still just as hungry as me! I guess we were so focused on rescuing Azurill that we didn't notice! Come on, let's go eat!"

After dinner, we filed off to our rooms. I laid on my bed, listening to the pouring rain right outside the window, and a flash of light lit up our room as bright as day, followed by a ground-rumbling blast of sound, like thunder. I leapt up, "Connor, did you see that?!"

He nodded, and I thought about something else, "When I found you… There was a storm the previous night. Do you remember why you were out cold on the beach?"  
He shook his head, "I don't remember anything in particular… Just names, and vague, vague memories of certain faces. I can't name any in particular."

I shrugged, "Maybe when we meet somebody, you'll remember something... Don't push it, Connor."

He shrugged, and we both laid down, trying to go to sleep… But Drowzee… Outlaws… The kind he was… A crook, a con man… That made me so infuriated, and I didn't know why. But he got what he had coming. I closed my eyes, trying to get to sleep, but then another thought popped into my head.

**-Connor's POV-**

Vulcan sure seemed angry… And I didn't know why… But he turned to me out of nowhere and asked, "You still awake?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

He shrugged, "I've been thinking about that weird dream vision thing you had. Maybe is has something to do with you personally."

I paused, then murmured, "What?"

"It's just a feeling I got. I don't know any other Mudkip that dream about the future, and I'm pretty sure that humans can't turn into pokemon. So, I think that those two things are connected. I can feel it."

I let out a short breath, glancing at the dancing shadows along the walls, _The key to unlocking my memories… Was it in that dream? Even if that were true… How does it relate to anything else?"_

"I don't know what you were like as a human, Connor… But you must have been a nice guy, and a really good leader. You seemed to know what was going to happen with Koffing and Zubat, and you knew how to keep calm and take down Drowzee, even in the face of hopelessness when he owned us with his confusion attack."  
"Y'know, Vulcan… Chatot said that the number of bad pokemon has been increasing because of 'time' being messed up. What's up with that? I thought that time was kinda something that couldn't be messed with."

He sat up, his tail hanging off of the bed, "It took a lot of explaining from Maris, and some research of my own, but most pokemon, me included, think that the Time Gears have something to do with it."

"Time Gears?"

"Time gears are supposedly what Arceus, the supreme creator of everything in the known world, made to maintain the flow of time. Pokemon say that they're hidden in secret places around Immanis. Some say that there's one hidden in a forest, an underground cavern, and even a lake that is surrounded by diamond walls, glittering like the stars on a clear night. Nobody really knows what happens if a region loses its Time Gear, but my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed, then time would stop in that region. That's why even the most hardened criminals know not to touch them."

I shrugged, laying my head in the hay, "Well… That's a lot to take in… I'm going to sleep on it."

Vulcan laughed, "Alright… Goodnight, Connor."

**-?'s POV-**

_This forest just seems to go on forever! And this rain is making it hard to see anything… At least I know where it is… Oh, over there! That glow!_

"Do my eyes deceive me? Could it be…? Yes, it is! A Time Gear! But… This is only the first of many…"

* * *

**Chapter 5... Drowzee got owned! But what could Vulcan possibly be holding in that made him so angry? No promises when you'll find out... Anywho, as always, feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed! If you got any OCs you want to see in a sequel to come, then PM me the description! Templates are on my profile. Much Love!**

**-PL**


	6. The Land Where Time Stands Still

**-Chapter 6: The Land Where Time Stands Still-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

After rescuing Azurill, things sort of went downhill for a few days. The highlight of the week was a spinda at the side of the crossroads, mumbling about Arceus-knows-what. It got kind of boring… The missions were good and all, but nothing really major happened. We got pulled aside for sentry duty once, but there's not really anything to tell about that, other than that Connor was ridiculously good at it, beating the high score set by loudred first try.

We found out about the rankings of missions and exploration teams as the days passed; We got promoted once, our badges turning a light bronze color, and we got a bigger storage space for items.

We wrapped up our day after a long trek through the Drenched bluff; Time sped up in Mystery dungeons, so what felt like minutes there translated to hours in the real world. Most Exploration teams only had time for one dungeon a day, so we went to sleep after dinner, not really saying anything.

I saw something forming from the mist in my mind, like a dream, but Loudred's shouts shattered any dream that could have been materializing.

I awoke, and Connor sighed, "We're up… Geez… You'd think that our internal clocks would warn us of the headache maker."

After morning briefings, we decided to go check out some of the mission boards. Only a couple missions in our skill level were posted, so Connor and I took those down and went to work getting items back for others.

But what Chatot told us today… That's what really stole the show.

"Far to the northeast, then even further into its outermost reaches… There is a place called Treeshroud Forest. In Treeshroud forest… Time has apparently stopped."

Everybody was dead silent, and he continued, "Time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud forest… The wind has stopped, the clouds are motionless… Dewdrops from the leaves won't fall; They just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time itself has truly stopped."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Everybody was scared, flipping out, but Sunflora asked, "How could that have happened?"

She seemed to think of something, and gasped, "It's unthinkable!"

Chatot nodded, "The unthinkable has happened, unfortunately… Why has time stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because Treeshroud Forests' Time Gear was… Stolen!"  
My mind was racing, thinking about who the heck would be so dumb as to steal a Time Gear…

Everybody was freaking out, shouting about how it could have happened and why, and Chatot used hyper voice, amplifying his voice to be as loud as Loudred's, "QUIET!"

Everybody stopped in their tracks, and he continued, maintaining his calm composure, "Officer Magnezone has started an investigation. It's hard to believe that anyone would dare steal a Time Gear, but if one was stolen, then the others may also be in danger. The officer asked to be notified immediately if we notice any suspicious characters. So keep that in mind, and let us know if you notice anything out of the ordinary. That is all. All right, everyone! here's to another busy day of work!"

"HOORAY!" Everyone headed off to their posts, and Chatot called us over before we could head to the mission floor, "You two! Come here."

We stood in front of him as he ruffled his feathers, "Your capture of Drowzee was very admirable. I am thoroughly impressed by your performance! So! You will finally be assigned a mission worthy of a proper exploration team!"

I was interested at that, "Really? Awesome!"

Chatot gestured to Connor, "Let me see your wonder map."

Connor rolled it out, and the usual landscape appeared on the browned paper. Chatot pointed to the map, and drew a line to a waterfall as he explained, "Over here is where we want you to investigate. This waterfall flowing here. By all appearances, it's just an ordinary waterfall. But we've received intelligence that the waterfall may conceal a secret. And that's where you come in. We want you two to investigate the waterfall and determine what's there. Do you understand?"

We both nodded, and he said, "Well, get going, you two!"

I nodded, and turned to Connor, "Let's do this!"

He nodded, "You bet!"

As we left, Chimecho called us over to a weird desk that she set up. She said that we could recruit new team members after she rang the 'friendship bell' whatever that meant. But it was good news. Just me and Connor can fall a little short sometimes. It'll be good to have some backup. When she explained the recruiting process, Connor looked confused, and I was as confused as he looked. _Normally beating the snot out of others doesn't make them want to join you…_

When we climbed up the ladders out to the crossroad, we saw a hole with a staircase where the Spinda was hanging out.

We found that the entrance was closed, so I read the sign, "Spinda's Café! A shop of hopes and dreams, Opening soon! Win big!"

Connor read it over, "What's that supposed to mean?"

I shrugged, "Beats me. Let's check it out when it opens."

On our way through Treasure Town, Connor asked me about the Marowak Dojo. I hadn't even thought about that place since it closed down a few months back, but I told him about it, "It's the place where pokemon train . Since not everybody's up for going to mystery dungeons, they trained here to get stronger, or just to stay in shape. But it's been collapsed for a little over half a year now."

As I thought about what I just said, a light clicked in my head, "Say, let's go check it out!"

Connor shrugged, "Sure. I'm interested in getting stronger, and the same enemies get boring after a while."

I walked to the entrance, hoping that it was finally opened, and the notice sign that was always blocking the door was taken down.

I sprinted ahead, "C'mon, Connor, let's go inside!"

We both entered, and the owner of the Dojo, Marowak, was inside, staring at us in shock, "V-visitors… F-finally… My first visitors!"

He pulled himself together and strode forward to us, "Welcome to Marowak Dojo. This is my place! It's dedicated to the training of Exploration teams! The Dojo went to rack and ruin, then to a pile of rubble, but… It has now risen from the dust to its former glory! Normally Basileus would have been training here… But I haven't had any visitors… Not even one. It saddened me to my very marrow… But then! Along came you two! You two are my first customers since the reopening! From my very marrow, I am feeling overjoyed! I don't even want any money! Keep it! just train here! That's all I ask!"

After he explained the mazes and how we weren't allowed to bring any items in, I was pumped, "Yeah; Let's do it!"  
Connor tried to argue a little bit, "Hey, Vulcan, Chatot gave us a job today. We should try when we're not being given a guild assignment."

The Marowak twirled his bone club, "Oh, not to worry, these mazes are special. Time is often sped up while traversing mystery dungeons, but the reverse is true for these mazes! Hours in there translate to minutes out here, and you get to keep all experience and items found while exploring! In fact, before the collapse, many exploration teams would train here while waiting for new missions to be posted, so that they can get many missions to the same mystery dungeon!"

I smiled, "That's actually really useful for rising up in the ranks quickly…"

I turned to Connor, and he nodded, "Dude, we need to get stronger, right? We don't know how tough the enemies on our mission will be. Better safe than sorry."

I nodded, "Yeah! Let's do this!"

So, we left our stuff in storage before picking a maze. I let Connor pick the maze, and he went with the Ice and Ground maze, saying that we both had type advantages, and covered each others' weaknesses.

I was doing alright, but when those Piloswine used earth power, I got my butt handed to me. Connor learned ice ball, which normally only a spheal could learn, on our second trip through. He basically curled into a ball and was coated in ice as he rammed into the opponent. It did help against ground types, but normally he just used water gun to take care of them. I used ember to take care of any snorunt or jynx, but without any oran berries, I got tired out from earth power really quickly.

As it ended up, Connor really liked this place, so a 'couple runs through' turned into 'several runs through'. And Connor didn't just want to get through the maze, he wanted to beat every enemy along the way. I'll admit, I really wanted to be as strong as him; He was so tough, and I could barely stand up to a couple ground type moves.

Connor turned to me while walking to the stairs for our seventh time, "Hey, the point of the maze is to get stronger, right? Come on, it'll prepare you for other ground type places."

I shrugged, and he stopped walking, "You know what… We have a mission. That's enough training for today."

_Why the sudden change of interest?_

I shrugged, dismissing the thought as we exited the dojo, and passed Basileus the Grovyle on our way to Kangaskhan storage. We mentioned that the Dojo was opened back up, and he seemed excited, "Alright! Thanks, you two!"

We grabbed some items from storage, and made our way to the waterfall. It wasn't that far, maybe half the distance to Mount Bristle, where we rescued Azurill. When we got there, I didn't see anything special about it; It was just a waterfall.

I walked up to it, muscling through the fear of my fire being put out, and I couldn't get within two feet of it without being pushed back by the torrent. "Gah! That's really coming down hard!"

Connor walked up to it, and he spat a water gun at it. The waterfall just absorbed it, and he whistled, "You're right, Vulcan, it's really- Ah!"

The water from the falls had a large wave come over the side of the top of the cliff and dump onto him, and I ran up, "You alright, Connor?"

He nodded, shaking himself off, "It was refreshing…"

I looked back at the falls, "How the heck are we supposed to investigate this waterfall if we can't get near it?"

He shook his head vigorously, and I turned, "What's up, you get some water in your eye or something?"

He opened his eyes, and stared at me for a moment before replying, "I got another vision. I saw a figure jump into the waterfall. But there was a cave on the other side, not a wall!"

I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't find the words. _INTO the waterfall?!_

"Um… That's pretty risky. I mean, what if there's a cliff behind there? You might be alright, because you're a water type, but I'd…" _I'd be dead. No need to sugarcoat it. _

I shook the doubt out of my head, "Well… Alright. I'll trust you again. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. Your visions haven't been wrong before."

We both stood side by side, and I trembled from fear for a moment before regaining my strength and focusing on running with all my might.

"On three, Vulcan…"

I nodded, and Connor counted, "One… Two… Three!"

We sprinted forward, and I leapt with a newfound strength, feeling a crushing pressure before I felt air again and we both tumbled on what felt like stone. I stood up, rubbing my tail, and I found that it was still fine. Connor turned to me, "Your tail doesn't go out underwater, Vulcan. I don't know where you got that idea from."

I shrugged, "Just an instinct, I guess."

Then, I looked around, noticing where we were. "You were right, Connor! A cave! Let's explore!"

We both got up, and walked forward into the inky darkness, the shiny dark blue walls reflecting the light from my tail.

* * *

**Chapter 6. It gets pretty neat. So... Yeah. Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next chapter! Much love!**

**-PL**


	7. New Discoveries

**-Chapter 7: New Discoveries-**

**-Connor's POV-**

We set out into the cave, and the trademark 'disappearing entrance' of Mystery dungeons took effect.

I had to say, this place was beautiful. And I wasn't exaggerating, either. Vulcan's tail flame made dancing shadows all along the walls, and the blue light coming from the water made it seem like we were under water in the cave. It was truly an awe-inspiring sight.

As we traveled down, we ran into some enemy pokemon. We managed to beat them fairly easily thanks to the training at the dojo. We kept going, and came to a massive room with gems everywhere, from sapphires, rubies, emeralds, even diamonds.

Vulcan's tail burned brighter with excitement, and he looked around, "Wow… We found a treasure trove just waiting for discovery!" He looked to his right, and he gasped, "Holy smokes, Connor, look at this gem!"

I saw a HUGE red gem in the wall. Vulcan superheated his hands and melted the stone around it, then grabbed on, heaving with all his might. He stumbled backwards after his hands slipped on the gem, and he turned to me, "You're a lot stronger than me. You think you can get it unstuck?"

I shrugged, "Worth a shot."

I dug my head fin into the ground beneath the gem, and attempted to heave upwards, but it didn't budge. The stone around my feet cracked from the force, but nothing else happened. I sighed, popping my neck, "It's not moving, Vulcan. It's stuck in there."

Vulcan walked forward, and began melting more of the stone by shooting fire from his hands, "Nonsense, we just need to remove the stone from around it!"

He stopped, and turned back to me, "You wanna use ancient power or something?"

I nodded, about to give it a shot, when I suddenly got dizzy again. _Another vision?_

Everything went dark, and a flash of light lit up a vision.

_The figure from the other vision walked into this part of the cave, and tried moving the gem. Unable to pull it out, he leaned against it. It made a clicking noise, and it triggered a trap that washed him out of the cave._

The vision faded, and Vulcan was back to melting the stone. He sighed, and leaned into the gem as he caught his breath. It sank into the wall with a clicking noise.

_Oh no!_

Vulcan stood back up as the room began to rumble, and the gem rose back to its normal position, "What's happening?!"

I looked to the right, and tackled Vulcan to the ground, shielding him from the water rushing towards us. I tried to stay rooted to the ground, but the water was too strong, and we were swept away. I saw Vulcan floating through the water, trying to swim upright, and I swam over to him, letting him grab ahold of my tail. I grabbed onto a wall, but the torrent pushed me further down a tunnel. I used all of my effort to condense an air bubble for Vulcan to breathe, and after a long while of being thrown into walls and slung around, we were blown out of a geyser. We landed in a pool of water, and I popped my head out of the pool. I saw a few familiar faces from Treasure Town, "Hey, Basileus!"

He seemed startled, "Where'd you come from? You just fell out of the sky."

I was confused as to how he got here so quickly, but I remembered mystery dungeon time. I quickly looked around, remembering my partner, "Vulcan!"

An Ursaring had already put him on the ground on the edge of the pool of water, "He'll be fine."

I turned back to Basileus, "What is this place?"

A voice behind me replied, "This is the Hot Spring."

I turned around and saw a Torkoal standing at the edge of the spring, "It works wonders on tired muscles and creaky joints. Many pokemon visit here on regular occasion. Tell me, youngster, have you a map?"

I nodded, and Vulcan came to, sitting up, "What the-? The hot springs?"

I pulled out our wonder map, and torkoal looked closely before pointing to the location of the hot spring. Vulcan waded in the water, and stood next to me, "We're here?"

The Torkoal nodded, "Mhmm. You darned near scared everyone here half to death, dropping from the sky. Hohoho!"

Vulcan pointed to the waterfall cave, and then drew a line to where we were, "Whoa! The water carried us all that way?!"

The Torkoal had evident concern in its voice, "My goodness! The water carried you all this way? What a long journey that must have been! Let the hot spring wash away your fatigue before you make your way home."

Vulcan was steaming, the water on his skin evaporating as we relaxed some more. After we got out, Vulcan simply dried himself using his body heat, and I just shook myself off. We made our way back to Treasure Town. On the way back, I thought about our mission in the cave.

_We didn't get any gems, but we still discovered the place! We can go back next time and grab a few, keeping away from the big one._

When we got back to the guild, we filed our report with Chatot.

"Hmm. Let me see if I got this all straight. Behind the waterfall, there is a cave. In the deepest part of the cave, there is a gigantic gem… When you pushed the gem, it triggered a trap of some kind. And, surprisingly, you were flushed off to Elder Torkoal's hot spring? Is that the gist of your report?"

Vulcan nodded, and his tail burned a dull orange, "Yeah… It's a real letdown we couldn't bring the gem back."

Chatot squawked, "No, no, no! Emphatically, no! This is a major discovery! After all, the presence of the cave behind the waterfall… No one knew about that before now!"

Vulcan smiled, his tail turning a brighter yellow, "Oh, so we were the first ones to find it!"

Chatot flapped his wings, "Your discovery is is simply amazing! The Guildmaster must be told!"

I thought about my vision… The one that warned me of the water, and the figure jumping through the waterfall… It looked remarkably like Wigglytuff…

"Chatot?"

He turned to me, "Hm?"

"I… I have a feeling that Wigglytuff might have been to the cave before."

Chatot reacted rather quickly, "Wh-what?! No, no, no! That's inconceivable! If that were so, the Guildmaster wouldn't have ordered you to investigate the place, right?"

I wasn't convinced, so I asked him to ask Wigglytuff. He seemed perplexed, "Since you insist, I will confirm it with the Guildmaster…"

He turned away and mumbled something before walking into Wigglytuff's chamber.

Vulcan turned to me, "Hey, what was that about?"

I explained who it was in my visions, and that I wanted to know if he had been there before.

Before Vulcan could reply, Chatot walked out, and I asked, "How'd it go?"

He took a deep breath, "When I asked the Guildmaster, he mulled over it for a bit, and then he said… 'Oh, memories! Sweet memories! YOOM… TAH!'"

His impersonation of Wigglytuff was really good, startlingly good. "Then he danced about a bit, then said, 'Yes, yes! When I think hard, maybe I did go there once!' And that's just what the Guildmaster said. So, to sum it up, your assumption was correct, Connor. He has indeed been to waterfall cave before."

Vulcan sighed, "Really…? That's a bummer. I thought we actually discovered something new. Probably would have saved us some trouble if Wigglytuff told us from the beginning."

Chatot nodded, "The Guildmaster can be rather, uh, erratic at times… Even I can't fathom what goes on in his head. Well, that's too bad for you. Nevertheless, I shall expect the same amount of effort tomorrow!" He finished with a smile, and Vulcan looked super down. I tapped his side, "Hey, cheer up. At least we know that there's gems there! Now we can go back anytime and get some!"

He smiled, "Yeah… Thanks."

After dinner, Vulcan and I talked for a bit in our room, and he seemed to realize something, "Hey, Connor… I noticed something about your little vision things… You always touch something before they happen."

I thought about it, and I smirked, "Wow… I guess you're right. Azurill's apple, Drowzee bumping into me, the waterfall… Each one of them triggered a vision!"

Vulcan continued, "Also, when you saw that vision of Azurill and Drowzee, you saw the future. But with the waterfall, you saw the past. So, if you touch something, you see something related to it, past or future. That could have a bunch of different uses. And not just for exploring, but for arresting criminals before they act! That's awesome, Connor!"

I laid my head on the hay, "I guess that's true… But I don't always get a vision when I touch something. If I had some control over it, then it would probably be better…"

Our conversation was interrupted by Chatot, who flapped into our room, "You two, the Guildmaster wants to see you."

We made our way to the Guildmaster's room, and after Chatot said his name a few times, he turned around in the blink of an eye, "Hiya! Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot! But don't worry! I'm keeping watch on your activities! I should tell you why I called you here. We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

Vulcan seemed perplexed, and I decided to stay quiet, "An expedition?"

Chatot explained about plans to explore a faraway area, and Wigglytuff continued, "Normally we would never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members, but you've tackled every mission thrown at you and succeeded with flying colors! That's why we're making an exception this time! We decided to include you in the candidate list for the expedition!"

Vulcan's tail burned brightly now, hinting at his excitement, "Seriously?"

Chatot nodded, "Now, now! You haven't been chosen yet. There is still time before we set out on the expedition. If you fail to do good work before then, you cannot expect to be selected for the expedition."

Wigglytuff chimed in, "I'm sure you can do it! Try your best!"

Vulcan nodded, "You bet!" He turned to me, "Let's do our best to make sure that we get picked!"

I nodded, "Yeah!"

* * *

_**Aaaay! Chapter 7 people! Get hyped! We're making some progress! As always, feel free to leave a quick Review or PM if you enjoyed! It helps keep me motivated to write more stories. I will see you in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	8. A New Friend and Old Enemies

**-Chapter 8: A New Friend and Old Enemies-**

**-Connor's POV-**

The next day, after our morning cheers, Chatot made the announcement that Vulcan and I had already found out last night, with a few more details.

"Ahem! As I was explaining… There is a lake far to the east. There are many aspects of the lake that remain shrouded in mystery. We hope to unravel those mysteries. And so, our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while."

The other apprentices all cheered excitedly at the idea. Loudred spoke up, his voice rising above the rest, (No surprise there) "But… That means you're going to be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?"

"Precisely! We will depart in several days. Over the course of these days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices. The chosen members will form the expedition party. Everyone, work hard so that you may be chosen for the expedition!"

Sunflora chimed in, "Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!" Bidoof followed up, "Yup yup! I've yet to go on an expedition. I would surely love to go on this one!"

Loudred spoke over both of them, "Let's work hard to get picked as members!"

Chatot called out, "Alright, everyone! It's back to work as usual!"

"HOORAY"

After everyone left, chatot told us to carry on as usual, picking our own jobs to do.

"You bet, Chatot!" Vulcan and I were both equally excited. His tail was sort of an emotional gauge, burning different colors and at different intensities depending on how he felt. I was still trying to figure out what all the different colors meant.

We headed up to the upper level of the Guild, and found a mission to mount bristle; Arresting a chingling on the outlaw board, and when we went over to the job notice board, I stopped in my tracks; "Hey, Vulcan… Those two…"

He looked to where I was pointing, and he immediately tensed up, "What the-? Hey!"

It was the two thugs that tried to swipe Vulcan's relic fragment!

They both turned and the Koffing nearly fell out of the air, "You two?!"

Vulcan's hands lit on fire, and he growled, "You've got some nerve showing your faces in a guild."

The Koffing recovered from his shock, "Why, I'll have you know that we're an exploration team!"

Zubat chuckled, "Why should an exploration team be nervous checking out the board?"

I glared at him, and Vulcan looked like somebody just told him that grass was purple.

"You're kidding, right? You guys, an exploration team?"

Koffing smirked, belching a cloud of gas, "That's right. Though the way we operate isn't always… By the book."

He turned to me, "But what a surprise seeing you two here! Are you running errands for Chatot or something?"

I got really defensive at that remark, "No, we signed up to be an exploration team. Vulcan and I are working really hard to be picked for the Guild's expedition!"

Koffing seemed to take interest in my statement, "Oh? An expedition, you say?"

Zubat chuckled, "Heh-heh. Well, effort only gets you so far. You won't get picked for the expedition party if you don't have talent, right? It all comes down to talent… Pure talent!"

Vulcan's skin glowed, "You're one to talk; If you're so talented, how come we beat you senseless in beach cave?"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the chief with us."

I tilted my head, "Chief?"

"Heh-heh. That's right."

Koffing continued, "Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members."

"Our Chief is incredibly talented."

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough."

"Heh-heh. If the Chief were around, well… You wouldn't be."

They both perked up, "Whoa-ho-ho! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him coming now!"

"Smell?"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

Those little… Augh!

They talked about smelling the chief, and a moment later, a skuntank climbed down the ladder. He walked up to Connor, who was in between the entrance and those two thugs, "Move! Outta the way!" He didn't even give Connor time to move before he sprayed a gas which had Connor stumbling backwards as he fell to the floor a few feet away.

Soon the entire upper floor was covered with a smell that made a gloom's smell seem like roses dipped in scented oils.

My nose felt like it wanted to curl into a ball and die in a hole.

Skuntank strode up to me, looked at me up and down, "Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?"  
I gritted my teeth, about to burst into flames and take this guy, but thought wiser of it, so I stepped aside, in spite of every fiber of my being wanting to uppercut this guy with a fire punch to the face.

The three of them started talking, and the Skuntank said kind of loudly, "An expedition from the guild? That does sound tasty."

Koffing grinned, "Doesn't it?"

Skuntank headed back towards the ladder, "Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting."

They both followed their leader, and something told me that we'd be seeing those guys again.

I quickly realized that Connor was still out on the ground, so I dashed over, "Connor! Are you alright?!"

He smirked, and threw up a little bit, "Never better… I can't wait to give those thugs a thorough butt-kicking."

I smiled at that remark, "Me neither."

Connor stood up and wiped his nose, "Good to see we're on the same page. Let's go get that chingling on Mt. Bristle."  
So, we headed out to the crossroads, and there was a Wynaut and Wobbuffet saying something about Spinda's café, and I looked at Connor, and he shrugged, "We'll check it out tomorrow."

We booked it to Mt. Bristle, and I pulled out the mission letter, "Says here he's on the fifth floor… Let's go!"

We took off into the mystery dungeon, and I found that the enemies here were way weaker than at Waterfall cave. The only real problem for me were the Geodude, but Connor just used water gun on them. We found the first stairs, and came to the second floor. There were a few enemies, and I just used ember to take them down.

We began leaving the room, and we heard a voice behind us, "Hold on."

We turned, and a Machop walked up to us, holding his arm, which was burned, "You guys an exploration team?"

I nodded, "Yeah… Why?"

He eyed our badges, "You guys are tough; If I join, you think I can get stronger too?"

I looked at Connor, _Geez, I guess this is what Chimecho meant a couple days ago by enemies wanting to join you._

He shrugged, "Yeah, I guess… But you have to help; You can't get stronger just by joining."

The Machop nodded, "Of course! I'm always up for a challenge."

"Say, what's your name? Is it just Machop, or…"

He flexed his muscles, "I'm Atlas. It's a pleasure!"

I shrugged, "Alright, Atlas; I'm Vulcan, and the Mudkip is Connor."

He nodded, "Cool. You got any rawst berries? This burn stings."

I handed him one, and he munched it down. His skin returned to the normal shade of grey that it was before, and we continued up the stairs.

He kept dashing ahead, taking out Geodude before we could even land a hit. I took care of the Starly; They flew circles around him. He tried to swat at them, but his jumping was a bit sub-par, so the Starly just flew a few feet above him.

_We've got some training to do._

We reached the outlaw floor, and the Chingling was just… waiting for us. Kind of weird, but whatever.

We all rushed him, and ends up that Drowzee was way tougher than this pushover. Even Atlas wasn't fazed by its confusion.

We brought him back and got our reward money; It wasn't barely past midday when we got back, which was strange, because normally mystery dungeons made time go by faster.

We decided to check out the Spinda's Café, and the Wynaut greeted us at the entrance, "Oh! A customer, is it not?" He walked up to us, "Good day, is it not?" I shook my head, "Excuse me?"

_Who the heck talks about the weather nowadays? And who says, 'is it not'?_

Atlas gestured to the Wynaut, "What's his deal?"

He simply laughed, "Oh, it is no trouble! The new shop, Spinda's Café is now open! A wonderful shop overflowing with hopes and dreams, is it not?"

Connor tilted his head in confusion, "Hopes and dreams?"

The Wobbuffet from earlier teleported next to the Wynaut and saluted before saying, "That's right!" He pointed to the stairs near the crossroads, and I turned to Connor and Atlas, "You guys wanna check it out?"

They both nodded, and we walked down into the stairs. We found a surprisingly large room decorated with swirls on the floor. It had a juice bar, five big, round tables, and a booth for prize tickets. Soon after we walked in, a Spinda, who I guessed owned the place, gave us a very dramatic act explaining the café, and a complimentary apple juice.

After he finished, Connor gleamed, "This is really cool! I'm sure we'll be hanging out here often!"

Atlas crossed his arms, glancing around the room after a sip from his cup, "Wouldn't be a bad spot to meet up in the mornings to discuss missions."

I smiled, "That's actually a really good idea. How about it, Connor?"

He nodded, and I turned to Atlas, "Say, where do you live, anyways?"

He shrugged, "Just outside of Treasure Town. Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure that you didn't live at Mt. Bristle. That would be problematic."

We all laughed a little bit, and we walked back up the stairs, "Atlas, we need to get you trained up. Let's hit up the Dojo before dinner, Connor."

The Machop shrugged, "Alright. Let's do this."

Connor nodded again, and we bumped into the Galvantula and Tyranitar that burrowed my house.

The Galvantula spoke up first, "Hey… You...! I forgot your name. What was it again?"

"Vulcan."

He clasped his hands, "Right! Vulcan! Well, we're off; Thanks for letting us borrow your place. We owe you one."

I waved, "No problem."

They took off past the crossroads, and Connor eyed them strange, "Friends of yours?"

I shook my head, "They burrowed my house while they were waiting for a friend or something."

He seemed bothered by those two, but he quickly got over it by the time we reached the Dojo.

This time, we tried the dark/fire maze. Atlas and Connor stole the show for the most part. A lot of the fire types had flash fire as an ability, making my flame-based attacks useless, so I was reduced to using scratch and smokescreen.

Atlas wasn't a pushover; He could hold his own against almost any pokemon in that maze. He used focus energy, and almost every enemy fell to one well-placed karate chop.

We breezed through there with hardly any effort, and Atlas slammed his hands together, "Come on, let's go again!"

This time, I chose the flying/normal maze. Atlas suddenly seemed a lot less confident, and Connor smirked, "C'mon, Atlas. You gotta be able to handle flying types."

He puffed out his chest, "I ain't afraid of no birds. Let's go."

He lead the way again, but this time got his butt handed to him. Connor learned mud slap along the way; Useless in this maze, but it would be useful against opponents later. I also learned Dragon rage, which I found did a fixed amount of damage. It was powerful, and made knocking out weaker opponents a breeze, but against more powerful foes? Probably not very useful.

Atlas got knocked out on the second floor, and when we finished the dungeon, he was collapsed at the entrance. Marowak was watching over him, and turned to us, "He's fine. Just needs a Reviver seed."

Connor booked it to the storage, and when he entered the tent, it floated out of Connor's backpack and latched onto him. He stood up, the energy roots healing his cuts from the pecks of the starly and doduo, "Yeah… I see what you mean."

Connor nodded, "That's enough training for today. Atlas, you're dismissed 'till tomorrow."

I added on, "Keep an eye out for Team Skull. It's a Koffing, Zubat and Skuntank, all with annoying laughs. Let me know if you see them."

He nodded, "Will do, boss. Catch you two later."

When we exited, almost no time had passed, so we went back to the guild and sort of lounged around after checking for any new missions.

After dinner, I kept thinking about Team Skull, how they were an exploration team… How have they not gotten caught being a bunch of crooks?

I shrugged, _Oh, well… Let's get to sleep early tonight._


	9. Stirring Up Trouble

**-Chapter 9: Stirring Up Trouble-**

**-Connor's POV-**

After the full day of training and missions yesterday, we decided to call it in early. I liked Atlas. He was kind of overconfident, but we could work through that. He really needed to work on his weakness to flying types, primarily; Psychic types, we can't really do much about, because we're all susceptible to psychic or confusion, and we don't even have a psychic type on our team to help train us against other psychics.

Anywho, I woke up to a startled yelp, and Vulcan was on the floor next to me. He stood straight up, his hands lit on fire, and I looked out the window, noticing it was the middle of the night, "What's wrong, Vulcan? Something scare you?"

He was sweating, and had tears in his eyes, "It was just a nightmare. Sorry…"

I noticed his tail flickering a shade of red, and I raised an eyebrow, "Pretty bad nightmare, huh?"

He nodded, a single tear falling down his face, and laid back down, not saying anything. I whispered, "What was it about?"

He didn't even turn around, "I don't wanna talk about it."

I was sort of shocked from his sudden defensiveness, but pushing him would only make it harder to get anything out of him. I decided to let him tell it on his own time.

I closed my eyes again, and fell back asleep. Before long, we were awoken by Loudred, and I'll admit, I wish that he'd just shake us awake instead of bursting our ears.

After morning cheers, Chatot had something more to say. "Let me introduce our new allies."

Everybody was confused, chattering about who it could be, but after Vulcan and I looked at each other, I knew what was about to happen. _Oh, please no…_

Just as I expected, that terrible scent came pouring down the ladder and had everybody complaining. Just after that, Team Skull made its way down.

Chatot continued, "These three are our new partners." The three goons introduced themselves, acting all polite, and I couldn't even contain my surprise. _They aren't even in disguise or anything! How does Chatot not know about them?!_

"I'm Skuntank. Remember it." He turned to us, "Especially you two. Chaw-haw-haw!"

Vulcan gritted his teeth, his tail burning a bright blue, which I learned meant absolute rage, and I simply glared at them while Chatot glanced back and forth at us, "Oh, you're already acquainted? That simplifies things." He turned back to everybody else, "These three aren't joining us as apprentices. They will be joining us on our expedition to lend their assistance."

I wanted to say something, but I knew that Chatot wouldn't listen to us. Not yet.

"Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition. However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together immediately. Therefore, we've decided that the trio should live with us for a few days."

_No way! It's bad enough that they're just going on the expedition, but now this?!_

"Though it will only be for a short while, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality."

Loudred whispered to sunflora, surprisingly enough to where Chatot didn't hear, "Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? Literally?"

She whispered back, "How can the Guildmaster stand this?"

Bidoof chimed in, whispering, "I sure hope the expedition ends soon, yup yup!"

Chatot, oblivious to the hate going around, continued, "Alright, everyone, let's get back to work!"

Vulcan and I didn't even try, but everyone else threw in a half-hearted "Hooray…"

Chatot flapped his wings, "What's this? Where is your usual spirit?"

Loudred yelled, "You've gotta be KIDDING! This STINKS! How do you expect us to be cheerful when…" The room began trembling suddenly. "What?!" Everybody was trying to stay balanced, and Wigglytuff had started to murmur, "YOOM… YOOOOOM…"

Chatot lost it, "No! The Guildmaster! His rage is building! If the Guildmaster get angry, it will be horrific!" He turned back to us, "Everyone, come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts! Alright, everyone, let's get down to today's work."

"HOORAY!"

The earthquake stopped suddenly, and everyone sort of trembled to their posts, shaken up about what just happened. Even Vulcan's rage was replaced by a bit of nervousness, because his tail was glowing yellow. Skuntank turned to us, "Glad to have met you. Chaw-haw-haw!" Then he left up the ladder, followed by Zubat and Koffing.

Chatot noticed that we hadn't gone anywhere, and gave us the assignment to pick our own jobs again. After we chose a few interesting missions to Mt. Bristle, we had Chimecho ring up Atlas while we went to the Café.

We sipped some Oran Juice while waiting for him, and I turned to Vulcan, "Team Skull, I know that they've got something in store for the expedition, and I'll bet you a hundred poké that they're going to do everything in their power to make us look bad for Chatot. That's why I think that we should hit up the Dojo before we head out today."

Vulcan agreed, "I'll take you up on that offer. I know that they'll do something, but I think that we can take them. We're a lot stronger than last time we fought Zubat and Koffing."

I nodded, slight memories filing back into my head, "Yeah… But guys like them? They don't fight fair. We need to be ready for cheap shots, and besides, Atlas needs to train up some more, no matter how tough he says he is. Anywho, they're not going to attack us openly; That would mess up their plan of tagging along on the expedition. They're gonna wait for us to get an important assignment, then screw it up for us. Let's just wait and see what they decide to do."

Atlas strode down the stairs and got a glass of Oran juice too, "What's up, Boss?"

Vulcan smiled slightly, "Don't call us that. We're partners. A team."

He nodded, sipping his juice, "Whatever you say."

I filled him in about what was going on with Team Skull, and that we were going to train at the dojo.

He clasped his hands together, "Alright; I've been doing some leg training after what happened yesterday; My vertical's almost two feet now. We'll be ready for those punks."

We nodded, "Well… That's improvement." We filed off to the dojo, and we heard some commotion coming from inside, and when we looked in, Basileus was dueling Marowak, and I began watching them, very impressed.

Marowak was using his bone club to land blows on Basileus while he used leaf blades to parry and follow up with seed bombs, disorienting him. But he would use protect, then bone rush as the blue shield absorbed the blow, keeping the grass-type on his toes. I thought about type matchups, and I suddenly found a new respect for the owner of the place.

He knocked Basileus off of his feet, then after a moment, helped him up, "Well done, Basileus. You're coming along nicely."

He thanked Marowak, and exited, greeting us as he walked past.

We walked in, and Marowak was so delighted, "Oho! Team Firestorm! Always a pleasure to have you here!"

We nodded, and after depositing our items, went into the ground/ice maze for a warm-up. We blazed through there fairly quickly, and after every couple run-thrus of the mazes, we'd take turns checking for new missions to Mt. Bristle. To finish the training session, we did the Normal/Flying maze. Atlas wasn't joking when he said that he'd been doing leg training. He could jump a lot higher than before, and we all learned new moves finally; I learned fire fang, Connor learned rock throw and mud sport, and Atlas learned seismic toss.

Of course, Atlas ended up being just as big a sore loser as Connor, so when he got knocked out in the flying maze, he kept getting back up for more, until we finally beat it after five tries.

So, we headed back to the Café, sipping some OJ (Oran Juice) to recover our energy. We had received four missions, with two outlaw cases rolled into the day. With that, we devised a strategy, which had Atlas guarding the staircase if the outlaw wasn't waiting for us while we patrolled.

With that in mind, we set out for Mt. Bristle. We made excellent time getting through the floors, and the outlaws weren't exactly super tough. We beat them fairly easily, and on the way, we rescued a Smeargle who offered to join our team when we brought him back to the guild.

After a little thought, we figured that he'd be useful, so we agreed. He didn't have a nickname, so we decided to call him Vincent.

We took him to the Dojo for training, and it ended up that he can literally learn any move he wants, and use paint to replicate any object that came to mind. He knew some pretty sick strategies, including giving himself wings, a sword, and shield, all made from paint. But they did the job well, not even bending. When he showed me, it didn't feel like paint, but it actually felt like metal, which was really cool.

That evening, Vulcan and I were both super excited after our badges changed from bronze to silver, marking our promotion as an exploration team.

"This'll help us get picked for the expedition, won't it, Connor?"

I nodded, "Yeah… It sure will."

I kept thinking about how we were going to take on team skull if we needed to. Koffing and Zubat weren't the problem. It was Skuntank. His smell alone had me almost passed out. He's just so strong...

I dismissed the thought, and closed my eyes, "G'night Vulcan."

We awoke the next morning as usual, with Loudred making our ears burst with a shout, and we went to morning briefings. After our cheers, Chatot called us over, "You two! Your job today is to replenish the larder."

Vulcan seemed interested, "You mean go get some food?"

"Correct. We inspected the larder this morning. For some mysterious reason, the guild's food stock has dropped sharply all of a sudden."

He shook his head as he continued, "Furthermore, our entire stock of perfect apples has disappeared. That was the only item to get completely cleaned out."

I raised an eyebrow, "Perfect apples?"

He nodded, "Correct. They're very big and delicious apples. But more than that, they are the Guildmaster's favorite food! If there were no perfect apples, the Guildmaster would… Um… The Guildmaster w-w-would…"

_If he's getting this scared just thinking about it, I don't wanna know…_

He suddenly got very dodgy, and quivered a bit before continuing, "Yes, that would happen. That's why I'm begging you two to go get some perfect apples."

I nodded, and Vulcan seemed a bit confused, but I told Chatot that we'd handle it.

"Good! Perfect apples can be found deep in apple woods. Now, listen, this may seem like a simple errand, but it's a crucial job. After all, this is about the Guildmaster's… So please don't fail!"

We both gave an "Ok" as we walked to the ladder, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Team Skull watching us as we climbed up.

_I'll take one guess at who ate all the perfect apples..._

Vulcan turned to me, "How much you wanna bet that they'll try to mess this up for us?"

I smiled, "I know they will. But we'll be ready."

* * *

_**Alright, Chapter 9 people! So, I am changing up the dialogue, because in my opinion, your partner doesn't act all that smart all the time, and I didn't want mine to be a carbon copy of the game. Anywho, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	10. Don't Mess With Fire

**-Chapter 10: Don't Mess With Fire-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

We stopped by Kangaskhan storage to pick up some items; A couple reviver seeds, a couple apples, a TM for flamethrower, for me, and a couple pieces of gear that we got as rewards from other missions.

Connor kept the Stamina band, Vincent got a pecha scarf, and I gave Atlas a power band. I kept the blue bow, and Atlas wrapped the power band around his arm, "So… Those Team Skull freaks. They're gonna try and ambush us, huh?"

I nodded, "I can almost guarantee it."

Vincent dabbed his tail in an easel that he always carried, "Well, let's make sure we're ready!"

Connor nodded, and we walked to the well. I wrote down our adventures so far, and after that, we set off for apple woods. We worked out a strategy for tackling team 'd probably use Skuntank to knock us out with his gas, so I thought of a strategy. I told them along the way, making sure to keep it to a whisper.

We made it to the entrance after a solid thirty minutes of walking, and Vincent looked to the treeline, "Well, it's not called Apple woods for nothing."

He was right about that. There were apples _everywhere_. But the Perfect apples were at the center of the forest, which I presumed Team Skull already knew about.

Anywho, after a quick recap of my plan, we all took off, the branches of the trees turning into a wall behind us, signaling a mystery dungeon.

After walking for a ridiculously long time, I had to say, the effects were getting annoying; Sleep, slowed, poison, paralysis… Why couldn't these pokemon just fight normally? Granted, Vincent used sketch to learn spore, which was really useful, so it wasn't all bad. None of the pokemon in the dungeon really caught our eye as good recruits, except combee, but it needed to be a female. But the ratio of guy to girl combees was pretty one-sided, and we didn't have all day to search for one.

When we reached the center of the forest, we saw a giant tree in the middle of a clearing that had perfect apples growing on it. Chatot wasn't joking when he said that they were big, either. Those things were bigger than my head!

We walked up, and Atlas said, "Well, we're here. Let's get some perfect apples and go home, guys."

"Chaw-haw-haw!"

I sarcastically said, "Oh, who could that be?"

Sure enough, Team Skull dropped from the tree, and kept my sarcastic tone, "Oh, we never saw this coming!"

I can't believe that they didn't catch on, but Skuntank did a fake bow, "Chaw-haw-haw! Team Skull at your service!"

Zubat went on, "Heh-heh. Hey, it's wimpy and company. Sure took you long enough to get here!"

Koffing smacked his lips, "We've been having ourselves a picnic of Perfect Apples while waiting for you to show. What took you so long?"

I turned to my friends, "Ignore them. There's still more on the tree."

"Chaw-haw-haw. Ignore us? That's very rude of you! In fact, we were wanting to help you!"

He walked to the side of the tree, and headbutted it several times, making a few dozen perfect apples fall to the ground, "Go on, pick them up."

I stared at the apples, but Connor took a step forward, "We're not buying it. It's a trick."

Koffing floated backwards slightly, "Well, color me surprised! They didn't fall for it at all!"

Vincent smirked, holding up his tail that was covered in a rainbow swirl of paint, "What color you want?"

Skuntank scowled, "Hmph. You're no fun at all, you know that? If it's a fight you want, then we'll oblige! Chaw-haw-haw!"

Koffing and him lined up while Zubat moved back, and I turned to the others, whispering, "Vincent, you ready?"

He nodded, and I turned forward, "Wait for it..."

"Chaw-haw-haw! Let's see if you can stand up to this attack. Koffing and I will use our… Noxious gas combo!"

Koffing and Skuntank sprayed gas at the same time, and I ignited my hands, "NOW!"

Vincent raised a paint barrier around my teammates, and rain started falling from the sky as I launched a flamethrower, igniting the gas and sending a fireball straight back into Team Skull.

***Flashback***

"**So, here's the plan, guys… I did some research on the gas sprayed by skuntank and Koffing. Connor, you know how Koffing's gas exploded when you used a blast seed back when we first fought him?"**

**He nodded, and I continued, "Well, I'm going to use flamethrower as they spray the gas. Same concept, except a bigger fireball. Vincent, you know safeguard, protect, rain dance, and how to use a sword. Put a Safeguard over us, just in case the gas doesn't ignite; We should be safe from all status effects for a while, including their stink. We'll all have to fight our hardest; Skuntank and his goons are probably tougher than last time. Vincent, you use protect on you, Connor and Atlas, then use rain dance. I don't want to burn down the forest."**

**He nodded, and I continued, "Afterwards, Vincent, you take on Zubat; You have wings, of sorts, so you can stay on his turf, I'll take down Koffing; Connor, Atlas, you two take on Skuntank. I'm not saying that you need to beat him, just keep him occupied until his goons are down. We'll come help when we're through."**

**Atlas cracked his knuckles with a grin, and Connor nodded.**

"**Alright; Apple Woods are up ahead. Let's do this."**

Before Team Skull could recover from the fireball, Vincent lowered protect, and sprouted some paint wings and sword, taking off straight into Zubat.

I leapt onto Koffing and bit down with fire fang. He fell to the ground, deflated and groaning.

I turned, and Connor had used ancient power to entomb Skuntank, and Atlas used karate chop to smash the boulders to rubble.

**-Connor's POV-**

I'll admit, letting Vulcan make that plan really helped. He really thought of everything. Rain dance helped bring down the fireball, and protect shielded us from the blast. Vincent just used spore to knock Zubat out from the get-go, and Koffing was taken down by Vulcan with one fire fang.

I used ancient power, making the ground heave up around Skuntank, and piled the boulders around him. Atlas used karate chop to turn the boulders to rubble, and Skuntank broke through, roaring, "You! How?!"

Vulcan used fire punch to uppercut him, and I slammed him into the tree with another boulder. He got up, and tried to spray us again, but Vincent's safeguard saved our butts. Vincent glided in, slashing with a paint sword, and Skuntank used night slash to parry, and knocked Vincent to the ground. Atlas charged forward, and Skuntank used flamethrower, but rain dance made it fizzle out before it reached Atlas.

He used karate chop, and Skuntank slammed back into the tree. A few more perfect apples cracked on the ground from falling after the tree shook, and I sighed after realizing that we weren't going to be able to bring a ton of them back.

I stepped forward, "Y'know, Skuntank… Some people just need a boulder to the face. You're one of 'em. But I'm not about that life."

I used ice ball, and he slammed back into the tree. Vulcan followed up with another uppercut, and Atlas used karate chop again. He fell to the ground, and there was a gust of wind, teleporting Team Skull out of the dungeon, just like any other team.

I looked to the ground, and the perfect apples there were burnt to a crisp and split open. I used ancient power, riding the floating hunk of rock to the top of the tree, and picked a few perfect apples that were unscaved. I put two in my wonder bag, and stacked a few on the boulder I was floating on. Vincent flew up to me, flapping his paint wings, and picked up a couple in a paint-made bag.

I floated back down, and filled back in the holes made from me heaving up the earth. Vulcan grabbed a couple apples, and Atlas carried the last two. We still got ten perfect apples. Not a bad haul.

We walked back to Treasure Town after munching on some oran berries, and when we came to the guild, Vincent and Atlas followed us in to deliver the perfect apples. When we took out all the perfect apples, Chatot looked at what we brought, "Odd… There are usually more growing this time of year…"

I shrugged, thinking of something to say, "That's all that was there when we got to the tree. Sorry."

I felt the rest of the team glaring at me, and I was almost tempted to tell him the truth, but thought wiser of it.

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. This will be enough for the Guildmaster for now. I'm willing to mark this as a partial success. I'll just have to make the trip myself to stock up for the expedition."

I shrugged, "Alright… If it's alright, Atlas, Vincent, Vulcan and I were wanting to go to Spinda's Café for a quick drink before dinner."

"Very well. Team Firestorm, you are dismissed."

Vincent, Atlas and Vulcan all eyed me as we walked out, and I turned to them on the stairs leading to the crossroads, "I know you wanna ask."

Atlas nodded, crossing his arms, "Yeah; Why didn't you tell Chatot that it was freaking Team Skull that ate all the Perfect Apples, were the reason that we didn't bring back even a dozen, and tried to stop us?!"

Vincent and Vulcan both nodded, and I sighed, "Trust me guys, I wanted to, but they got kicked out of the dungeon and were warped straight here. They had a solid half an hour to make up a story, and no doubt they made up a really good one. If we brought it up to Chatot, then he would have brought up what Team Skull said, then that would've made _us _look suspicious. Especially if we kept pressing, trying to convince him. Team Skull is a crafty bunch. We can't just out-muscle them, we have to stay one step ahead of them. But the thing is that we're simply not respected enough yet to make Chatot change his mind about them. Give it time, Atlas."

He crossed his arms, and Vincent placed a hand on his shoulder, "Chill out, muscles. We still beat the snot out of them."

He let a slight smirk cross his face for a moment, "Yeah, but I don't like that they get off scot-free."

I shrugged, "Well, no matter; Let's have a drink in celebration for our half-successful mission!"

We all liked the sound of that, and we each made our favorite gummi smoothie to celebrate while listening to the music flowing from the walls of the café.

* * *

_**This chapter, guys... The reason I wrote it like this was because, A. I despised that you never actually fought team Skull in the games. And B. I feel like in the games that your partner can be... Dumb at times. I made him smarter throughout the whole story, so I like to think that it made sense for the most part. I think it's better written like this instead of no fight scene at all. Let me know what you guys thought of it with a quick review or PM, and I will see you in the next update!  
**_

_**-PS - OC submissions are getting pretty filled up due to my story progressing. If you want to see your OC member in any sequels to come, then be sure to PM me soon, before it's too late! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	11. The Big Day

**-Chapter 11: The Big Day-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

After waking up the next day, we reported for the morning briefing. Chatot spoke up after the morning cheers, "Tomorrow, or the day after, or perhaps in several days' time… We plan to announce the members of the expedition party."

We all cheered, and I saw Team Skull sneaking glances at Connor and I. _If we get picked… We need to be ready to fight them again._

"Everyone, this is your last chance to make an impression. Work hard and impress us if you want to be chosen. All right, everyone. Let's get down to work as usual!"  
"HOORAY!"

After everyone left, Chatot told us to carry on doing jobs listed upstairs.

Before we left, Croagunk called us over, explaining that his swap shop was open for business. We asked what it was, and he explained about rare items and how he puts them in his swap cauldron to switch them with items that other pokemon are offering. It sounded neat, but we didn't have any rare items right now, so we told him that we'd give him a visit when we found anything.

As if that news update weren't enough, we also heard an announcement from Spinda's Café about 'Project P'. Apparently, the cafe used items that were recycled to search for new dungeons. When they found one, they notified everybody that came in, then they can take anything that they find from the new dungeon that they don't want to the recycle shop. Then, the entire process repeats in a sort-of cycle.

We grabbed a few missions yesterday for Waterfall cave, and now that we made regular visits, Connor used ancient power to split the water and make a path, so we didn't have to jump through the waterfall every time. We met up with Atlas and Vincent, and we tackled those easily. These missions were getting pretty easy, and I wanted to find some new, tougher dungeons, but so far that's all that has been cropping up on the boards.

Over the next few days, we started training up and doing six or seven missions at once every day. You could say we were try-harding, but hey, Connor and I wanted to get picked for this thing.

Atlas learned revenge, in which he basically waited for the opponent to attack, then after he was hit, knocked them to the floor with a punch to the face.

Connor learned ice beam with a TM that we found in the field; It covered his weakness to grass, and Atlas' weakness to flying.

Vincent went and copied Skuntank's night slash without us knowing, and we found out when he OH-KO'd a Chingling outlaw. There seemed to be a lot of Chingling outlaws, now that I think about it.

We didn't really do any of the 'running away' outlaw missions, because none of us were really made for speed; Vincent maybe could pull it off, but we haven't found an enemy with Agility yet, so no luck.

Anywho, after dinner a couple nights after the Apple Woods run-in, Chatot announced that the expedition members were going to be announced at tomorrow's briefing.

That night, I told Connor that I thought we had a pretty solid chance at getting picked, but the other members had seniority, so we just had to wait and find out.

**-?'s POV-**

"Surely that guardian couldn't expect me to be fooled by its tricks… This is too easy. Another Time Gear! This is the second one… I must have them all…"

**-Connor's POV-**

I honestly don't think any of the apprentices got a good night's sleep last night. It was evident on everybody's faces, and primarily by the fact that Loudred didn't wake us up for a change, which meant that he must have been really tired too.

We were all pumped up by the excitement of who was going to be picked for the expedition, and Chatot started off the morning pretty well. "Ahem! Now then, I shall announce the expedition members at this time." He turned to Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster, the memo, if you please."

Wigglytuff handed him a sheet of paper, and Chatot held it in his wings, "The chosen members are written on this memo. Now, step forth if your name is called."

_This is it… Will we get picked?_

Vulcan's tail glowed bright yellow, hinting his nervousness, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. We both nodded to each other as Chatot started, "Without further ado, I will announce those that have been chosen. Our first member… Loudred!"  
Loudred jumped up, "Y-yes! I DID IT!" He walked up, and turned, "But if you really think about it, it's only NATURAL that I would get picked! WOOHOOO!"  
I heard Sunflora murmur, "Says you…" Before Chatot went on.

"Next up… Corphish!"

He cheered with a bunch of 'hey's before letting out a sigh of relief and standing next to Loudred.

"Next is… Oh, what's this? Well, what a surprise! The next member is Bidoof!"  
Bidoof looked surprised, "Really? Really and truly?! Golly… Me?! I'm going on an expedition?!" He started quivering, and when Chatot asked him to step forward, he said that he couldn't move due to his being overwhelmed.

"So be it. We'll ignore it and move on. Next we have Sunflora and Chimecho!" They both walked forward, and Chatot finished up, "Erm… Yes, and there we have the expedition party members!"

_Awww. Oh, well. Guess it can't be helped. _  
Vulcan's shoulders dropped, and I bumped him jokingly, "We'll get 'em next time, Vulcan. We did our best."  
Chatot caught our attention again, "So, that's it for the expedition members… Erm.. What's this?"  
He held the paper closer to his beak and tilted it slightly, saying something about proper writing, and he went on, "Erm… It appears that there are more expedition members. The others are… Diglett, Dugtrio, and Croagunk. Oh, and Connor and Vulcan!"

I shook my head, "Whaaat…"  
Vulcan's tail flame burned a passionate orange while he leapt into the air, "Yes! We made it!"  
"That is all. Wait a second… What?!"  
He examined the paper again, and turned to Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster, this list seems to include every member of the guild!"  
Wigglytuff kept a grin, "Yup! That's right!"  
Chatot walked up, "Then… It seems that the whole selection process was meaningless. Moreover, if we were all to go, we would be leaving the guild completely unattended! Are you sure it will be alright to leave with no one to keep an eye on the Guild?"  
"It's fine, Chatot. We'll lock up properly."

Skuntank walked up, "Guildmaster, I also have some misgivings. Do you think perhaps we have too many members for an expedition?"

I glared at him, although he didn't pay any attention to me, _That little…_

Wigglytuff put a hand on his nonexistent chin in thought, "Hmm… When a friend asks something like that, I have to wonder why…"  
"I mean, first of all, why does everybody have to go? What's the point in having everyone participate?"

Wigglytuff grinned, and looked at him like the answer was as clear as day, "Huh?! Of course there's a point! That is… If everyone went, then it would be more fun!"

Skuntank's jaw practically hit the floor, "Huh?!"  
I stifled a laugh, and Wigglytuff continued, "We'll be noisy and excited and having lots of fun! I started thinking about it, and it made me so excited I couldn't sleep!" He turned to the apprentices, "So that's how it is, everyone! We're all going on the expedition, and it will be fun, fun, fun! Let's all do our best!"

"HOORAY!"

Once things quieted down, Chatot seemed kind of annoyed, "Urrgh… Well, that's settled. Fine. Let me explain the schedule. Right after this, I will hold a briefing on the expedition. As such, the chosen members, (That is, everyone)... Each of you should get prepared to embark on the expedition. Let me remind you that this is a guild-exclusive expedition. You may not bring along non-guild members of your teams. As such, you will not be able to add members during our expedition. They simply aren't allowed to join. Keep that in mind while making preparations! When you are fully prepared, you should return here. Then inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"  
After Wigglytuff left, Vulcan and I gathered in a circle with the rest of the apprentices. Sunflora started, "I could scream, I'm so happy! Everyone's going on the expedition!"

Chimecho chimed in, "Our Guildmaster has done it again. I'm so shocked, I'm tingling!"

I nodded, "I had my doubts, as well as Vulcan, but I'm glad to be along for the ride!"  
Corphish said a few 'hey hey's, and Bidoof sniffled, "By golly, I'm so mighty happy that they're even letting me go on this expedition! Oh, but it's not just me, everyone gets to go! Sniff… It's like I'm dreaming… It's making me feel mighty emotional…"

Dugtrio looked over, his three heads alternating speaking, "It's no dream."

"This is really happening."  
"Anyway, since we're all going, it means that we're all going to be put to the test as well."  
"That's why I would like to propose that all of us apprentices work as one."  
Then all three heads said in unison, "Let's make this expedition a success!"  
Sunflora jumped, "Yippee! That's the spirit!"  
Loudred shouted, "YEAH! THAT'S the spirit!"

Chimecho finished, "Let's do our best, everyone!"  
We all cheered once, and went to pack up. After explaining the gist of what happened to Atlas and Vincent, we took them off active duty and went to the storage, packing a few big apples, three reviver seeds, and a few orbs in case of monster houses. I hadn't seen one, but I received a warning about them from Vincent a couple days ago while we were training; It's where maybe ten to fifteen pokemon drop from the ceiling and ambush you. He said a petrify orb would be best, but a spurn orb worked about the same.

Anywho, after that, we were walking back, and a Gallade called to us, "Hey, Vulcan!"  
I recognized him as the one from Team Core, and Vulcan ran over, "What's up Seth?"  
"There's a rescue mission. We've got three pokemon in trouble; Normally we'd do it ourselves, but we're all busy with another investigation into a pokemon mafia group. Think you two can do it?"  
I nodded, and Vulcan spoke up, "Sure! We got done packing up relatively early."  
Seth grabbed onto us, "I can teleport you there. Hold on." I felt like we were floating in air for a moment before we came to an overhang on a ravine. I looked down, and there were two teams, it looked like. A Tyranitar, Galvantula, and Grovyle against a Seviper, Haxorus, Banette and Klinklang. The latter team seemed to be winning, and I turned to Seth, "Whose butts do we kick?"  
He replied, "The group of four. Team Virus. They're outlaws that pose as an exploration team. Well, technically they are an exploration team, but… Yeah. I think you get it."  
I turned to Vulcan, "Who's that remind you of?"

He simply chuckled, "Check it out… I learned a couple new moves from TMs we found… I want to try something. Float me over the ravine with ancient power."

I complied, and he used smokescreen, bellowing out a massive black cloud in the middle of the sky. Seth teleported away, and I rode the boulder into the middle of the cloud. Vulcan began spinning, and a massive column of fire shot straight down into the ground.

I brought us down inside the cyclone of fire, and threw the boulders around me as we descended.

We landed on the ground, and the vortex vanished. I used Ice ball to roll forward and crash into the Banette who was chaining down the Grovyle, and the chains vanished from around him. He leapt up, and I paused, an unfamiliar feeling falling over me… _Do I know him?_

The Haxorus almost used dual chop on me, but Vulcan parried with dragon claw, and knocked the dragon back with a well-placed kick. He turned to me, "Come on! Focus!"

The Seviper tried to use poison fang, but I jammed a stick into its mouth, propping it open. It tried to shake the stick out, and even attempted to move it with his tail, and I pinned him to the ground with ancient power.

Vulcan laughed, "Alright! I didn't know if that would work! How did you know what I was doing?"  
I shook my head, "Not the time, Vulcan." The entire team was down, and I gathered them all into one group, "You're under arrest by Team Firestorm!"  
The Galvantula zapped the Seviper before muttering something, and I held up my badge, "We're here to rescue you. We can handle them. Are you alright?"

They nodded, when suddenly the Seviper hissed, "Think again."  
He slithered around Vulcan and used poison fang on his neck.

I willed the earth to rise up, but the entire team was already booking it out of there. I turned back to Vulcan, and the Seviper shouted back, "Your choice, hero! Save your partner, or give chase to us?"

I growled, but noticed that Vulcan wasn't moving. I sprinted to him, "Hey, don't die on me. We worked too hard for you to die here."

The Grovyle handed me a pecha berry, and I quickly broke it open and drizzled the juice over the wound. He grunted in pain, his tail flame burning a dull black color, and I fed him a heal seed. He gasped, then looked around, "They ran away?"  
I nodded, "Yeah... You're my primary concern right now."  
The Tyranitar stood up, being almost eight feet tall, "Ugh… That Haxorus…"  
The Galvantula leapt onto him, "Bruh, she just spammed Dragon Dance! Ain't nothing you could have done to beat her after that."  
I turned to them after setting Vulcan down, "I'm the leader of Team Firestorm. Are any of you injured?"  
The Tyranitar grunted, a piece of his stone skin chipping off, but he smiled, "I'm fine. Thanks for the concern."

The Galvantula scuttled up to me, "How'd you get here so fast? We didn't send out an invite for a rescue party."

I smiled warmly, "You ask a lot of questions. My name is on a need to know basis only, and as for how we knew… Do you know Seth? From Team Core?"

The Grovyle nodded, and I saw some strange markings on his arms… They looked somewhat familiar, and we made eye contact for a moment before he nodded, "Yeah; I know him."  
"Well, he told us that you were in trouble, so here we are."  
Tyranitar looked around, "You came from Treasure Town?"  
I nodded, "Yeah… Well, we're done here. Good to see that you're alright. Have a good day."  
I held up my badge, and Vulcan and I were whisked back to the Guild.

Vulcan stood up, rubbing his neck, the two puncture wounds from the Seviper's fangs making a nasty mark, "Why didn't you tell them your name?"  
I looked around, and walked to the mission floor, making sure we were alone, "I think I know that Grovyle… From somewhere… And those other two."

He shook his head, "But you didn't tell them your name?"  
I shrugged, "If I know them… That means that they must have known me at some point, right? I don't know if they're friends or foes, and since I have amnesia, there's no way to know for sure."

He nodded, somewhat satisfied with that answer, and we walked back down to the briefing room.

After everybody else filed in, Chatot began the briefing.

"Let me explain about this expedition. First, the objective: exploration of Fogbound Lake. It's a lake that is said to be located far to the east. However, it is perpetually enshrouded by a dense fog. As such, it's actual existence has never been confirmed… It is merely the foggy mirage of a spot that lives to this day on rumor alone. It is also rumored… That a treasure of exquisite beauty is hidden there."

I was excited now, "Awesome! A treasure hunt! This is gonna be a blast!"

Wigglytuff laughed, "Yup! It will be fun, fun, fun!"

Chatot went on, "Everyone, open up your wonder maps, please. He held up his own while we all pulled out ours, and pointed to a cloud-covered portion of the map near a forest, "This is where Fogbound Lake is said to be. As an uncharted territory, the area is shown under a cloud cover. Then he drew a line to Treasure Town, "Our guild is here. As you can see, the lake is a considerable distance from the guild. Therefore, we will encamp at the foot of the highlands here. That will serve as our base camp," He finished by pointing to the forest near the cloud cover.

He rolled up the map, "Now… If we were to travel all at once in a single group to the base camp, our mobility would be restricted. The strategy is to split up into several groups to travel to the base camp. I will announce those groups now. The first group is Loudred, Sunflora, Diglett and Croagunk."  
Loudred jumped up, "You guys! You'd better NOT hold me back!" Sunflora replied, "You're one to talk!"

Ignoring them, Chatot went on, "The next group is Chimecho, Dugtrio and Corphish."  
Dugtrio perked up, "We're a pretty solid group!"  
Chimecho jingled, "I promise to try my best!"  
Corphish spoke up, "Hey, hey, likewise!"  
"Erm… Let's see… The Guildmaster and I shall travel as a pair… That is acceptable, yes?"  
Wigglytuff pouted, "Awwww?! I have to go with Chatot? That's so booooring!"  
Chatot groaned, "Please Guildmaster, don't be difficult. This is a key element of our strategy."  
"...Meanie."

Shaking his head, Chatot went on, "Our guests, Team Skull should travel independent of us as their own group."

"Understood! Chaw-haw-haw!"

And the final group is Connor, Vulcan, and Bidoof."

Bidoof turned to us, "We're in the same group! I hope I can keep up. Yup yup!"

Vulcan nodded, "Same to you, Bidoof."

"Well then… Everyone! Let's get to it and move out!"

"HOORAY!"

We all filed out, and began our trek.


	12. The Mystery of Fogbound Lake

**-Chapter 12: The Mystery of Fogbound Lake-**

**-Connor's POV-**

After everybody split up, we took a look at the wonder maps to decide which route to take to Foggy Forest. Eventually, we came to an agreement to stick to the coast, which would line us up for a straight-shot through the mountain range to our destination.

We traveled without much excitement until we actually got to the coast itself, which had us gawking at the view for a little bit while Bidoof explained about Kangaskhan rocks, which were basically portable storages for stuff.

After a little bit, Vulcan took out his map, "Okay… We're on track, and this mountain is halfway between here and the forest. We should probably try getting there, and camping out at the foot of the mountain before moving on." He pointed to a mountain with a huge, pointed peak.

We all agreed, and Vulcan started checking out the entrance to a small cave on the cliff we were on. _Wow… Vulcan's gotten so much bolder since I first met him… It seems like such a long time ago…_

He turned back to Bidoof and I, "Hey, guys? We've got a problem. There's two paths here."

Bidoof walked over next to me, "Huh? Now, that is mighty vexing."

"What do you think, Connor? Which one should we choose?"

I looked closely at the fork in the entrance, and I pointed to the one that seemed more like a main, straight shooting path.

"When in doubt, choose the one on the right. You can't go wrong."

Vulcan laughed, "Alright… I'll be sure to keep that in mind!" He lit the way with a will-o-wisp as we went in, the entrance disappearing in the darkness behind us.

We made it through Craggy Coast without much trouble.

After resting for the night at the base of Mt. Horn, which we figured out its name thanks to the wonder map, which labeled where we were when we were close to a landmark, we took the path on the right, this time making a loop back to the entrance.

So, we took the one on the left. We lost a good portion of daylight by taking the wrong path, but we found our first treasure chest towards the end. Vulcan tried prying it open, and even tried melting the metal by superheating his hands, but it stayed strong.

Bidoof told us that only Xatu could open it, back at Treasure town, and Vulcan stashed it in his wonder bag.

We made it to base camp, thinking we made good time, but Chatot scolded us, "You all are late! Everyone else arrived a long while ago! Go set your equipment down! Make haste! Now that everybody is present, we will begin our strategy briefing."

Everybody started gathering around, and I found myself looking at the trees, and the tents with a strange feeling in my gut…

Vulcan turned around, "Hey… What's the matter?"

_What is this weird sensation? I don't know why I'm feeling this way… I… I know this place! Have I been here before? Maybe… Does it have something to do with me? Before I lost my memory?_

Chatot called over, "Come on, come on, we haven't got all day!"

Vulcan guided me forward, "We'll talk in a little bit. Come on, Connor."

I shook the odd feeling aside for now, and lined up in the assembly, everyone looking at Chatot.

"Erm… Your attention, please. It appears that everyone has arrived at our base camp safe and sound. We shall now proceed with the exploration of fogbound lake! As you can see, we are in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposedly concealed… But so far, that has been nothing more than a rumor. Many Exploration teams have all attempted the challenge, such as Team Core, Team Charm, Team Hope, Team Raiders, save many smaller-name teams, but so far the lake has eluded discovery."

Corphish spoke up, "Hey, hey, hey! So is it really there or what?! This fogbound lake?"

Sunflora turned to him, "Silly Corphish. You'll ruin the fun if you say something like that."

Loudred added in, "Yeah, don't spoil things now!"

He cringed a little bit, "Hey, hey…"

Chimecho floated up a bit, "Um… May I?" everybody turned to her, and she continued, "Um, while we were travelling, I heard a certain legend."

Chatot leaned forward, "A legend, you say?"

"Yes. A legend about fogbound lake. According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokemon named Uxie. The pokemon is said to be extremely rare. Uxie is also said to lock eyes with others and wipe their memories clean."

I couldn't contain my surprise. I gasped, and a couple of the apprentices gave me weird looks. _Wipe memories clean?! The feeling that I had about this place… Could that mean…?_

"That is why, even if travelers were to happen upon Fogbound Lake, Uxie would wipe their memories clean, thereby muzzling the travellers from revealing the existence of the lake. And that's how Uxie protects it. I'm told that such a legend remains."

All of the apprentices got a little uneasy at this statement, but Chatot cleared his throat to get our attention again. "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles when conducting successful explorations!"

The uneasiness was lifted, and Wigglytuff chimed in, "Ha ha ha! Don't worry, everything will be alright! Let's believe in success for this adventure too, and… Let's try! Let's try!"

Chatot nodded agreement, "Let's move on with our plan. The Guildmaster and I shall remain here to gather intelligence from the teams in the field. You are to go off in teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is indeed enshrouded in a deep fog. Once you enter it, visibility is severely restricted. We think that Fogbound Lake has eluded discovery because of this fog. Perhaps there is a way of lifting it, so your search is twofold! One, search for fogbound lake, and two, let's find a way to lift the fog. If you accomplish either thing, return to the base camp and inform the Guildmaster or myself! That is all. Alright, everyone. Let's give it our best shot, as always!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody broke into conversation about who would find the lake first, and how they would do it, and soon Diglett and Dugtrio burrowed underground to search. Soon after, everyone else went through the path to the forest. Team Skull lingered around, but left after a bit.

Vulcan tapped my shoulder, and put a safeguard orb in the easy access pocket of my backpack, "We're alone, and there's fog everywhere. Those goons could attack us at any time and blame it on the wild pokemon in the forest. Throw that down if you see them. We need to move quickly and quietly."

I nodded, but the feeling I felt earlier just didn't leave me. _According to legend, this Uxie can wipe the memories of others clean. Is that just a coincidence? It's possible that I came here before I lost my memory. I could've come here before I lost my memory. I could have met Uxie, then he wiped my memories clean. That would explain my amnesia… But what about me being a pokemon?_

Vulcan whistled, "Hey, you there?"

I nodded, "Yeah; What?"

He shook his head with a laugh, "I know that you like to think a lot, but now isn't a good time. I'm here if you need to tell me something, but for now let's get our supplies and head out into foggy forest."

We stored our extra items in a compartment at the foot of the Kangaskhan rock, and Vulcan scribbled down our adventures so far in the adventure log, and placed it in the mouth of the statue.

We took off down the main path of Foggy forest, hoping that it would take us somewhere important.

While we were walking, I saw a glitter to the left, reflecting from the light of Vulcan's tail. I looked to it, and he picked it up, "Whoa! Connor, check it out! This stone… Wha-?! The fog's lifted!"

I raised an eyebrow staring around at the not-gone fog around us, "Um… No, it's not… Vulcan, you alright?"

Instead of replying, he handed me the stone, which radiated a warm heat, and suddenly I could see clear as day. I glanced around, and Vulcan chuckled, "This stone… It obviously has something to do with the fog, don't you think? We should hold onto it. Now, let's go!"

I smiled, "Who gets to hold it?"

He shrugged, "I don't care. Either one of us can follow the other. You're the leader of the team, right? I mean, from the beginning, you helped me get my relic fragment back."

I shrugged, "Naw, it's finders keepers. You found it, so you hold onto it."

He gladly took the stone, and we both walked down the path, into the forest.

**-Atlas' POV-**

"Yo, Vincent!"

The Smeargle turned to me, "Yeah?"

I walked out of my tent in Treasure Town; We decided to move in there, since the bosses lived in the guild. "You wanna hit up the Dojo while Connor and Vulcan are away? They're going to come back stronger, and we need to keep up with 'em!"

I cracked my knuckles, and Vincent shrugged, "Why not? Care for a drink afterwards?"

I nodded, "I always like a good drink. Let's go!"

When we walked into the Dojo, Marowak greeted us with a friendly hello.

Vincent waved, and Marowak glanced around, "Oh? No Vulcan and Connor?"

I shook my head, "They're gone on an expedition. Some official Guild business or something."

He nodded, "Oh. Understood! Feel free to use my Dojo at your leisure!"

Vincent made a treasure bag out of his paint, a really handy ability, I'll admit. We decided to tackle the dragon type maze for a change of pace.

We kicked some butt. I expected it to be harder, but there were just bagon everywhere. Luckily Vincent took the courtesy to learn feint from Quint, that Absol from Team Core, so he was a gate crasher for those protect spammers.

We made it through the dungeon once, and we barely broke a sweat. I turned to the Marowak, "Hey, is there a way to up the difficulty of this thing?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I need your team leader's badge to activate the levelling up procedure for members of his team."  
I grunted, unsatisfied with the answer, "Alright; A few more runs, then I'll take you up on that drink, Vincent!"

We tried some other dungeons, and all of them were too easy. We just called it quits until a challenge presented itself.  
We were walking through Treasure Town, and I noticed a lot more pokemon around than usual. And most of them looked… Mean. Not locals, that's for sure.

Vincent was clearly troubled too, cuz he stepped up the pace after a Blastoise walked past with a nasty scar on its leg. We went to the Café, and a Bisharp was questioning the Wynaut, "I'll ask again; Vulcan… A Charmander. You know 'im?"

Wynaut shook its head, "I'm afraid that I do not know who you are talking about, sir."

The Bisharp growled as he sliced a board in half, then saw us, "You! Do you know a Charmander by the name of Vulcan?"

I looked at Vincent, and I could tell that we both were thinking the same thing. _This guy's obviously looking for trouble…_

He pushed me into the wall after walking up to us, "Answer me!"

I was about to play it cool, but Vincent took it a bit too far. He slammed the Bisharp across the Café with a giant fist made from blue paint, "Do not touch my friend!"

The Bisharp stood back up, "Oho! We've got a fighter…"

The Spinda twirled between us, "Friends, can you kindly take this dispute out of this establishment?"

The Bisharp knocked him aside, "Out of my way. That Smeargle obviously needs to be taught some manners…"

He started moving forward, extending the blades on his hands, and Vincent made a paint sword and shield. They both started dueling, sword against sword, when suddenly Vincent dropped his shield, and tossed a small green orb beneath the Bisharp, which exploded into a fine green powder. He inhaled it, and collapsed to the floor.

Vincent handed the Spinda a few golden coins, "Sorry about your place, Spinda. I don't know what this guy's deal is." He turned to the Wynaut, "Thanks for covering for Vulcan, Wynaut."

He bowed, "It is no trouble! Anything for a loyal customer!"

A looked at the Bisharp, "I wonder what his beef with Vulcan is…"

Vincent shrugged, "I don't know, but I'm not sure I want to find out…"

Officer Magnezone floated in shortly afterwards, *ZZZT! What seems to be the issue here? ZZZT!*

I pointed to the Bisharp, "He was picking pointless fights. No big deal."

The Magnezone glanced between us, *ZZZT! Understood. ZZZT!"

We were about to leave when the Blastoise from before walked in, accompanied by a team, it looked like. Vincent murmured, "I don't like this, Atlas… We should get out of here."

There was a Seviper, Haxorus, Klinklang and Banette. They looked _really _sketchy, like, almost outlaw sketchy. But Magnezone didn't seem to recognize them. And he had a database of all uncaptured outlaws in his head. Pretty cool, in my opinion, but I guess they weren't technically outlaws. I still didn't want to be around with them.

So, Vincent and I split while those others examined the Bisharp that Vincent knocked senseless.

I chuckled, "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

He smiled, "You think that you're the only one that likes to train?"

I shrugged, "Not anymore. We need to lie low for a good while before we show our faces. Something tells me that all these foreigners are part of a group, and that they wouldn't take kindly to us knocking one of their own out."

Vincent agreed, and after we entered our tent, was covered with a swirl of rainbow paint from head to toe, and when it solidified, he looked just like a Druddigon, colors and everything. he was a couple feet taller, and walked strangely… On his hands and legs, but with a slight hobble.

I laughed, "And you can transform… Is there anything you can't do?"

And what do you know, his voice changed too! It was a lot deeper, "Not really, if I can transform my entire cellular structure."

I shrugged, "Well, what about me?"

He dabbed a bit of paint onto my chest with his claw, and I was enveloped in it, unable to see for a moment. When my vision cleared, I looked at my hands. They were blue, and my arms were yellow. And on top of that I felt… Fat. "What'd you turn me into?"

He smiled, "A Makuhita. Don't worry about it. We just need to wait 'till these guys leave. When they figure out that Vulcan isn't here, they'll move on."

I sat down, and almost fell over from my round body, "You just had to make me a fat pokemon, didn't you?"

He laughed, "Yeah. I know how much you like your 'body'."

I humphed, but let it slide; My attention was on those strangers outside. "I want to know what their deal with Vulcan is…"

**-Connor's POV-**

After making several big circles back to base camp, we found that the Guildmaster had randomly wandered off, and the other groups still hadn't returned. Vulcan just decided to burn his way through the forest, superheating his fists to slice through the thick branches.

After a while, I couldn't even see him anymore, just the flame from his tail, signaling that we were in foggy forest.

The wild pokemon here were a bit tougher, but there were a lot of grass types, so Vulcan sent most of them running with a quick show of his flamethrower. The fog got even thicker as we progressed, and pretty soon I couldn't even see Vulcan in front of me, but he continued to blaze the trail. I called up, "Hey, d'you think I could see that stone?"

I heard him say sure, and I felt it land on top of my head. I reared up onto my hind legs, and held it between my front legs. I looked around, and I saw a huge plateau through the trees up ahead. I handed it back to Vulcan, "Hey, let's head that way."

"What way?"

I pointed, and I heard him say, "Alright..."

Pretty soon, I felt it in my head fin: Running water. I followed Vulcan, and pretty soon it turned into more than just a feeling. I heard it. The fog got even thicker, but Vulcan said, "Running water? That's a start. Say, there's Corphish!"

I followed the light from his tail, and we came to a huge statue of some pokemon, and Corphish was checking it out, "Hey, hey, hey! Vulcan! Connor! Check this out!"

Vulcan handed me the stone, and I looked it up and down, "What pokemon is this?"

Vulcan stared at it, "One of the Sons of Arceus. Groudon, the pokemon that tamed the land way back when."

Corphish stared at him, and he smiled skittishly, "I know things!"

He walked around it, and examined a plaque on the right side of it. "It's something written in footprint runes… Hold on, I got this… 'Reignite the life that burned within Groudon… Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat, and the path to the treasure shall be revealed.' Alright, so if we figure out what that means, then we'll be on the right track to find the treasure!"

I looked around, and noticed that the stone I was holding didn't really do much anymore. The fog was creeping in, slowly but surely.

"Hey, hey, hey! Y-you think so? Hey, hey! Now, that's a mystery we've got to solve!"

Vulcan examined the statue, "Everything seems relatively straight forward… But the part about reigniting the life that burned within Groudon… That's tough… We have a statue of Groudon right here, but it was never alive…"

He suddenly perked up, "Connor, try touching it! Maybe you'll get a clue! A-a vision or something!"

I nodded, "I was just about to suggest that, actually. If it might help find the path to the treasure, then it's worth a shot." _If the keys to my memories are there, and the statue will unlock the path for me, then I have to try…_

Corphish just stood there, confused, and I gave Vulcan the red stone as I placed my front foot on the base of the statue, closing my eyes.

"Anything yet?"

I kept my eyes closed, focusing, "I've never tried triggering one intentionally. Just be patient."

Suddenly, the waterfalls faded out of my hearing, and I saw a flash of light, this time only accompanied by a voice.

"That's it! It's here! It's here!"

I opened my eyes, gasping, confused at what I just heard. _Who was that?!_

Then, the feeling of dizziness washed over me again. _Another one? That's never happened..._

"I see! Place the drought stone in Groudon's heart! That lifts the fog!"

Another voice, "Very well done! Good job, partner!"

The voice faded again, and I just stood there, dumbfounded, _What did I just hear? Who was that? It was too short; I couldn't identify the voice… Why is it bugging me so much?!_

Vulcan tapped my shoulder, "You get something?"

I nodded, "Yeah… He said something about placing the drought stone in Groudon's heart… Whatever that means."

Vulcan shrugged, looking at the red stone he was holding, "Maybe… This? It's warm, and droughts are hot… Maybe?"

I murmured, "Groudon's heart… The chest? But it's so high up…" I used ancient power to levitate up there, and I let Vulcan hitch a ride on another boulder. He felt around, "What do you know… There's a hole in its chest…"

He slid the stone into the hole, which was a perfect fit, and the statue's eyes gleamed red. We both floated away as the ground began quaking, and Corphish darted past us. Then, a flash of light came from the statue. When it vanished, the fog was gone, and the sun shone brightly overhead. Vulcan's flame burned more intensely, and my skin dried out a little bit. I dipped in the waterfall nearby, and Corphish smiled, "Hey, hey! The fog is gone!"

Then, I heard Vulcan yelp with surprise, and I looked at him, "What is it?"

I followed his gaze, and he sighed, "So that's how it's evaded discovery for so long… I'll admit, without the fog, it sticks out like a sore thumb."

He wasn't kidding. It was a massive plateau mounted on a thin spire of stone, with waterfalls pouring over the edge into the pools around us.

"Hey, hey, So… You think Fogbound Lake is up there, hey hey?!"

"That's what I'm saying. It's got to be."

* * *

**_Chapter 12 people! Get hyped! More fanfic powers in this chapter! Anywho, feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed, or just want to say something that you liked or disliked, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love! _**

**_-PL_**


	13. A Continental Discovery

**-Chapter 13: A Continental Discovery-**

**-Vincent's POV-**

Atlas and I decided to lie low for a while after that confrontation with that Bisharp, and I transformed us to look like a Druddigon and Makuhita. After Atlas' complaining that he was fat, he simply accepted it. We were exploring Treasure Town, and it was obvious that the strangers were bothering the locals. The Shops were being boarded up, and no one came out of their tents.

I saw that Bisharp again, rubbing his head, which was dented from the blow I inflicted earlier. He pointed to us, "Them!"  
I stopped in my tracks, examining myself. _I'm still a Druddigon… Let's just play it cool… They won't recognize us._

The Blastoise lumbered up to me, "A Smeargle and Machop… You seen them? They knocked out one of ours in the cafe without warning."

I pointed to the crossroads, "Last I heard, they booked it to Apple woods to hide out."

He huffed once, but nodded, turning around, "None of 'em are here. Rogue woulda smelt 'em. Let's go."

The Bisharp growled, and the Seviper from earlier snickered, "The boss won't be very pleased with your performance, Mordred. Knocked out by a Smeargle… Pathetic. And they escaped, to add on to the report!"

The Bisharp looked about ready to chop that snake's head off, but he simply growled again and stormed off.

Atlas and I went back into our tent as the group went on, leaving the town, and after I lumbered around, checking for any other suspicious characters, I turned back into myself, and Atlas back into his usual form.

He looked to the rest of the shops, which were beginning to open back up, and he turned back to me, "That… Was really sketchy… And why didn't Officer Magnezone do anything?"

I shrugged, "Beats me… But something's definitely up with them. We need to tell Vulcan when he gets back."

**-Connor's POV-**

"Hey, hey, hey! This is no time to be gawking!" We both turned to Corphish, "I'll go let everybody in the guild know! You two go on ahead!"

After he dashed out of the area, we started to move, but stopped when a voice shouted, "Hold it!"

Suddenly, Team Skull came out from behind one of the waterfalls.

I sighed, and Vulcan growled, his tail now burning blue, "You pushovers again?!"

"Chaw-haw-haw! Good job!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! You solved the mystery. You're no longer of use to us!"

"Heh-heh-heh! We'll swipe the treasure, thanks to you!"

I smiled, "We saw this coming since you showed your faces at the guild as 'allies'. Why don't you just give up now, before you get hurt again?"

Vulcan smirked, "Yeah; Didn't we kick your butts back in Apple Woods?" He turned to me, "Some pokemon just don't know not to play with fire."

Skuntank growled, "You got lucky. Trust me, it won't happen again. This time, you won't be lifting a finger to stop us!"

He held up a small blue orb with a yellow lightning pattern on it, and Vulcan gasped, his tail flame turning a bright shade of yellow.

I knew that whatever that orb did, it wasn't good. Skuntank raised it up, but before he threw it down, we heard a voice, "Waaah! Wait! Wait for me!" A perfect apple rolled into view, and Vulcan's tail turned a weird shade of green as he tilted his head, "I don't know if this is great timing or terrible…"

I smiled nervously, "Just play it cool."

Wigglytuff skipped into the clearing, "Perfect apple! Perfect apple! I finally caught you, my perfect apple! If my perfect apple went away, I would… I would... Sniff…" He pulled himself together, and looked around at us, "Oh? Oh oh?"

He looked at us, "You two!"

Then he turned to Team Skull, "And my friends! Everyone's all together! Yay! Yaaay!"

Skuntank had already hidden the orb, "G-Guildmaster! What are you doing here?"

"Huh? What am I doing? Well, I was taking a walk in the forest, when suddenly my perfect apple began rolling and rolling away from me. So I ran, and ran and ran, and here I am! Oh, yes!" He looked at us, "You two shouldn't be dawdling here, should you?"

I shook my head, "Huh?"

"You two have a job to do, right? Go explore the forest! Go on then, off you go!"

Vulcan was about to say something, but I cut him off, "Of course, Guildmaster. We were just having a friendly chat with your friends over there. In fact, they said that they wanted to get to know you better, since… Um..."

I couldn't think of anything, but Vulcan got the idea. He finished, "Since that's what friends do, right? They get to know each other!"

Wigglytuff bounced up and down, "That sounds like Fun! Fun, fun, fun!"

I nodded, "Well, we'll leave you to that, Wigglytuff. Come on, Vulcan."

We both walked calmly out of the clearing, Team Skull glaring at us the entire time. "Walk… Walk…"

We were out of sight from the others, "Okay, now run."

We booked it to the spire, and on the side of it, there was a huge crack in the side of the stone, large enough for us to go through.

Vulcan glanced to me, "Wow… That was some quick thinking!"

I smiled, "Thanks. You weren't too bad at picking it up for me."

Vulcan smiled, "Yeah…" He looked at the crack in front of us, with rough stairs leading up, "Well, we're here."

**-Skuntank's POV-**

_That blasted Team Firestorm! Curse our luck!_

I glanced at Koffing and Zubat, and they both looked uneasy. Wigglytuff was rambling on about something, "Oh, I hope we get good news soon!"

I tried to speak up, "Um… Guildmaster?"

"Hm? What's the matter, friend?"

I cleared my throat, "I was thinking that we should probably go explore as well…"

The pink balloon looked shocked and confused, oblivious to our anger, "Huh?! Oh, no no no! That's alright; I can't trouble my friends like that! We'll let the others do the exploring! Let's chat while we wait for a report!"

We cursed our luck again as he began talking about himself, saying he was a guardian of something, but I tuned him out. Pretty soon, his attention wavered, and he started to sing and dance.

Zubat and Koffing floated around me, "Chief, this is getting weird."

Koffing added, "Team Firestorm will beat us to the prize if we don't do something!"

I huffed, "Well, we have to do something. We have no choice. We'll take down Wigglytuff right now, then chase after team Firestorm."

Zubat whispered, "You think it'll be alright?"

Koffing shuddered, "Wigglytuff is like, super creepy. And the entire guild is scared of him… Maybe there's a reason."

I shook my head, "He's nothing but a big baby. He's no big deal. Besides, rumor has it that Wigglytuff carries an unbelievably precious treasure."

"Oh, treasure?!"

"That's right. I was planning on mugging him for it anyways, so this is a good opportunity. Koffing, prepare the noxious gas special combo."

Zubat fluttered back while we lined up, and Wigglytuff was blissfully unaware, not even missing a beat on his song, "La la la la la la la la la~!"

"Wigglytuff is really going to get it… No hard feelings, but… the great, famous explorer wigglytuff… Is finished! Chaw-haw-haw!"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

When we went up, I was grossed out by the wet heat of the place. The air felt like water on my skin.

Connor learned protect, and we found a TM for rock slide, which he learned as well. He just rammed the wall or the floor, and rocks came tumbling down from the ceiling above the enemy.

We found a couple lava pools in there aside from the boiling water, and I fell into one after a magmar pushed me over, but it just felt like a hot bath. I guess that since I'm a fire type, things like that don't really affect me.

Connor looked around, "This place is intense. Let's finish this."

**-Skuntank's POV-**

Wigglytuff turned around before Koffing and I could fully charge it up, so I decided to do an old-fashioned stare-down.

After a long while, Zubat glanced between us, "Hey, chief… Is something wrong?"

Koffing added on, "Chief… Hey, Chief… You've been staring him down how long now? C'mon… Let's give him a dose of the ol' noxious gas…"

I hushed them, "Shut your yap!"

The pink fluffball tilted his head, "My friends, what's wrong? You've been making such scary faces at me!"

I was shocked beyond belief that this guy wasn't intimidated. "Bah! This guy's tough… Real tough…"

Wigglytuff jumped to his own conclusions, "I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces! I bet I can make you laugh too!"

He started pulling his face into weird positions, and Koffing muttered, "C'mon, Chief…! I can't take this! This whole weird scene is freaking me out!"

"Okay… This isn't working, and we're out of options…" I spoke up, "Hey, Wigglytuff!"

Still stretching his face, he replied, "Whatiswhatiswhatis what is it?"

I smirked, "No hard feelings, but… You're going down! Take this! A noxious gas combo, straight from me and Koffing!"

We both unleashed our stenches, making sure to keep wigglytuff in the center of the cloud.

**-Connor's POV-**

On our way up, I couldn't help but complain a couple times about the heat… There were so many pools of boiling water, and we even saw a lava pool or two. I kind of freaked after Vulcan fell into one, but he said it just felt like a hot bath.

After a while, we found a rest area with a kangaskhan rock in the center. It didn't have a compartment for storing items, but Vulcan wrote some more in our adventure log. It was probably a couple dozen pages now, and he closed it, putting it back in the statue.

Suddenly, my fin picked up a strange vibration in the air… Almost like a…

"Vulcan, did you hear that?"

He turned, "Hear what?"

*Groooooohhhh!*

"Okay, I heard it that time…"

Then, silence. It got really… Creepy after that.

"What do you think it is?"

He shrugged, "The wind maybe? Or a roar…?"

I couldn't shake a bad feeling, "Yeah… Probably just the wind. But just in case, let's keep our guard up, alright?"  
We walked forward, and another roar/wind echoed around, faintly louder.

Vulcan shuddered, "Well… Whatever it is, the only way is forward!"

He took a few steps, then turned, "Hey… If we don't stick together, we'll end up in separate parts of the dungeon! You've been acting all weird since we arrived at the base camp; What's wrong?"

I sighed, "Ever since we arrived, I had the strangest feeling that I'd been here before, like deja vu, but I don't remember any specifics. But I think I have been here before… Whether I was a pokemon or not, I don't remember, but if I met Uxie, then he might be able to explain my amnesia."

Vulcan's tail burned a strange combination of many colors, "Geez, you've been holding that in the entire time? No wonder you've been acting so strange. If Uxie is up there, then that's just another reason to get to the top! We'll get there and ask him! Let's go!"

We set off into the second part of steam cave; Connor learned double team with a TM we found, and I learned flame burst, which made a small orb that floated towards the opponent, then exploded. It was really good for catching some of the enemies off guard.

The enemies there were slightly tougher, but nothing that we couldn't handle.

Soon after, we reached the peak. The last area was a large, flat, sort of round room with an open top, so it was kind of like a giant bowl.

Vulcan shifted uneasily, "Um… Why does the air feel so… Charged? I don't like this…"

Then there was a giant roar from just ahead.

"GROOOOOH…!"

We both leaped, and I looked at Vulcan, "That wasn't the wind!"

"GROOOOOOH…!"

Then, the ground started shaking like there were giant footsteps being taken.

Vulcan lit his hands on fire, "Whatever it is, it's coming closer!"

**-Corphish's POV-**

"Hey, hey, hey! Up here!"

I brought the whole guild to the strange statue that Connor, Vulcan and I found, and on my way back to base camp, I saw the Guildmaster running after a perfect apple.

Chatot looked at me, "This is it? The Groudon statue?"

Sunflora glanced around, "Oh my gosh, there is like, nobody else here… Where's the Guildmaster? And Team Skull?"  
Chatot continued, "You're sure you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?"

I nodded, "Sure, I'm sure! I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp. The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly in hot pursuit of a perfect apple! I gave him a shout and a wave, but he seemed to occupied to holler back. But I'd guess that Connor's team went on ahead! So I'd bet that the Guildmaster went on up after them, don't you think?"

Then there was a light tremor that had everybody looking around nervously.

Diglet murmured, "Hmm? The ground…"

Bidoof commented, "Uh-What? It's shaking!"

Then, there was a distant roar that was super faint. Everyone was disoriented, but I shook them out of it, "Hey, hey, hey! Something's going on up there! Let's head up! Hurry!"

Everybody followed me to fogbound lake. I heard diglett mention something about hearing someone moaning in pain, but Dugtrio hurried him up.

**-Skuntank's POV-**

Koffing moaned, "Hork-ork-how did that happen? How did Wigglytuff shrug off our noxious gas special like it was nothing?"

Zubat continued, "And h-h-how did Wigglytuff strike back at us… It's unbelievable…"

I groaned, "Y'know… I just thought o' somethin'..."

Koffing couldn't roll over, but he asked, "What, Chief?"

"Wigglytuff... He doesn't have a nose…"

Nobody replied, but I was infuriated… I had to get my revenge! But none of us could move, so we just laid there, groaning in pain.

**-Vulcan's pov-**

Whatever was moving, its steps were making Connor and I make small jumps. With another roar, the pokemon that we saw on the statue stomped into the room.

Connor's jaw hit the floor at this colossal pokemon, and I spoke up, "That pokemon… Groudon! It really exists! I thought it was just a legend!"

The Groudon roared again, and it took everything I had not to 'eek' like Sunflora.

The Groudon growled, "YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE? DEPART NOW!"

Connor stepped forward, "We just want to go to fogbound lake!"

The Groudon reared up, "WHAT?! FOGBOUND LAKE?! I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

Then it roared again, but this pokemon didn't seem like the kind that raised the continents… It was too small. Still huge, but not big enough. But it looked real enough. It's roar shook the earth itself.

**-Corphish's POV-**

I lead the rest of the guild to the entrance of the steamy cave, and after a quick cheer, we took off into the dungeon.

While we were running, Chatot caught up to me, and I turned to him, "H… Hey, Chatot! Can I ask you something while we're running? Do you know something about a pokemon named Groudon?"

He glared back, "Of course! What do you take me for? I'm only the head of intelligence for our guild! Squawk!" He calmed down, and continued, "Groudon is a legendary pokemon spoken of in myths passed down through the generations. He is supposedly a son of Arceus, and was the one responsible for making the continents! He made the land rise from the sea, and shaped the world as we know it!"

"Hoo boy, that sounds like a colossal pokemon! What if you were to face Groudon in battle? What would happen?"

He nearly tripped and fell after that remark, but caught himself, "Battle?! Out of the question! Squawk! If anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in battle… Well, it would be like throwing your life away! He is that strong! Just like all the Sons of Arceus!"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

Ooooh, boy… This is something for the adventure log, if we make it out of here.

Connor glanced at me, and I asked, "Connor… What do we do?"

He shook his head, "Do what we have to. We have to hit this pokemon with everything we've got!"

I nodded, "Alright… No turning back!"

The Groudon was standing right in front of us, and roared, "PREPARE TO FEEL MY WRATH! GROOOOOH!"

After that roar, the sun began beating down extra hard, and I saw my tail flame burn even brighter, and I was filled with a fresh wave of energy.

Connor on the other hand… He looked tired just standing there…

The Groudon used ancient power, heaving the ground up from underneath us, and Connor used his own ancient power to float us out of harms' way on some rocks. But the Groudon used flamethrower, a massive column of flame that melted the stone; I was fine, but when I turned to Connor… He was on the ground, really burnt… I fed him a rawst berry, and his burns healed over. He stood up, "Ugh… That sunlight negates my water-type moves… And my fire resistance..."

I launched a fireball at the Groudon, and Connor slammed into the ground, triggering a rockslide that knocked Groudon over. We both charged forward, and Connor used ancient power to slam chunks of the cliff into the pokemon's face. It reeled back, and I used smokescreen to blot out its vision, but it roared, and the sun beat down even harder, the sunlight cutting through the smoke, and he stood back up, swatting us aside. I reached for a petrify orb in my bag, but for some reason, it was stuck to the bag.

"What the-?!"

The Groudon was on top of us again, but Connor used protect to shield us from the flamethrower, which was enormous.

"C'mon, Vulcan! What's the hold up?!"

"I can't grab any orbs!"

Connor shouted, "Then use a seed!"

I pulled the first seed out of the bag that I found, and I smiled, "Alright, totter seed! Connor, you're gonna need to get me close. Use Ancient Power to float me up to its head!"

He nodded, and as soon as the protect barrier was lowered, Connor ripped a good chunk of rock out of the cliffside, and I leapt onto it. It floated up to Groudon's face, and he tried to smash it, but Connor floated the stone just out of harms way.

I threw the totter seed with all of my might, and it exploded with a poof of yellow powder. The Groudon's eyes glazed over, and he began stumbling, using flamethrower into the air and everywhere else. I shouted to Connor, "Now!"

Connor nodded, and rolled into a ball, using Ice ball to freeze the Groudon's ankles. It roared, and tried to step on him, but he used protect, shielding himself. Then, he used Ancient Power to slam boulders into the Groudon's face, and I used flamethrower to melt the stones into molten. They were slung onto the Groudon, and he roared as the lava poured around him. Connor used ice beam to solidify the lava into stone, and the Groudon was flash-petrified. We both were panting from the effort, "Did… Did we do it?"

Then, the stone began glowing, and Groudon burst from it, "GROOOOOH!"

"Spoke too soon…"

He charged forward, and I dove to the side. Connor used double team. The Groudon glanced around himself, and stomped the ground, triggering an earthquake. I used fire spin to raise myself up in a column of flame to avoid the attack.

The double team faded, and Connor used ice beam again, this time freezing the Groudon's arm. It was still a bit disoriented from the totter seed, so it stumbled and fell over.

Then, it shook its head as the sunlight melted the ice from around its arm. It used flamethrower again, and Connor barely had time to dodge the intense heat before it rocketed past him.

_Well, the totter seed wore off._

Connor kept running, but Groudon dashed faster than it had before, and stomped on him with its full weight.

He turned back to me, and Connor was out for the count… A reviver seed floated out of the bag and began doing its work on him, unflattening him from the crushing weight of the Groudon.

I turned back to the threat, when suddenly, I saw a faint shadow along the right wall of the crater. I glanced over there, but Groudon's foot was right over me when I looked back.

I focused, and just as his foot came down, I burst into flames, my physical form turning _into_ fire.

I rushed up the side of his leg, and I re-solidified into a Charmander just in time to use fire punch, boosted by the intense sunlight.

It stumbled backwards, into the cliffside, and I followed up with a flamethrower, then a dragon claw on its face. It roared, one of its eyes gashed pretty badly, and it used ancient power again, sending the chunks of stone at me. I dodged, and once used brick break to smash a boulder.

Connor had gotten back up, but he looked worse for wear… His face was pretty bruised, and the Reviver seed was still on him, doing its thing.

Groudon's claws began glowing, and he tried to swipe at me with a slash attack, but I dodged, shifting between flame form and physical form.

I used flamethrower, and it blocked its face with its arms. An Ice beam freezed its arms together in that position, and Connor trembled beside me, "That… Was horrible… Thank Arceus for Reviver seeds…"

I followed up with a brick break to its arms, boosted by Connor's Ancient Power, and the Groudon's arms shattered into a thousand ice fragments.

My eyes widened as it roared one last time, then fell to the ground.

"We… We did it?!"

The Groudon vanished in a flash of light, and I looked around while Connor went, "Uhhh…. What just happened?"

I sighed, "It looks like that wasn't Groudon…"

Then, another voice came from around us, "Indeed. That was not Groudon. That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion conjured up by me…"

Connor looked around, his head fin vibrating slightly, "Who's there?!"

Then, the voice said again, "Like I said, I am the Guardian of Fogbound Lake, and I cannot allow you to pass."

I quickly came up with a story, "Hey, we're not looking for trouble! We only want information, I swear!"

"Information, you say?"

Connor nodded, "Yes! That's right! I mean, we are an exploration team, and we heard that there was some treasure of unrivaled beauty here or something… And we'd really like to see it, but if we can't, then we'll leave without arguing! We're happy just to have made it this far! Please believe us!"

I felt a tingling sensation in my head, and the voice replied, "Hm… Very well. I believe you."

There was a flash of light, and a small pokemon that was blue-grey with a yellow dome hairstyle appeared. "Allow me to welcome you, then. I am Uxie, guardian of Fogbound Lake."

Connor gasped, "Uxie?!"

The pokemon nodded, "Mhmm… I stand guard over something special in Fogbound Lake. Now, allow me to escort you there." He lead us through the cavern, the stones parting around us to form a path. As soon as the path opened, the sunlight faded, and it was night time.

When we came to the edge of an overhang, and Uxie said, "It may be difficult to see at night, but..." He turned around, facing the scenery, "Behold! Fogbound Lake!"

I'll be the first to say, "Wow." I had never seen anything like it… It was so peaceful...

The lake was lit up by a greenish glow from the center, and a whole bunch of Illumise and Volbeat were floating around. Uxie said something about it being difficult to see at night, but it was absolutely breathtaking.

Connor quivered, tears in his eyes for some reason, "It's beautiful… All the lights illuminating from the water... How can such a huge lake be at the top of a plateau?"

"Water constantly wells up from far below this place. It flows up so heavily that it has long formed this enormous lake."

He turned back to us, "Now cast your eyes to the glowing area towards the lake's center."

We both stepped forward, Connor practically leaning off of the overhang, "You mean the blue-green one?"

He nodded, "Step forward, and take a closer look."

Connor floated out over the lake on a boulder with Ancient power, seeming confused and excited at the same time, and I saw something that I never thought I'd see in my life.

"Uxie… Is that…?"

He nodded, "It is… A Time Gear."

Connor nearly dropped from the sky, but caught himself a few inches from the water, still staring at it, muttering, "A Time Gear…"

Uxie continued, "Yes… I guard the Time Gear. That is the sole reason I am here. He brought Connor back to the ground with his psychic, and we both stepped back, "Others before you have tried to trespass here, but I used my Groudon Illusion to chase most of them off."

I raised an eyebrow, "The one we fought back there? It seemed so real, though!"

"It is something that I can create with my psychic abilities, like so…"

He opened his eyes, which I just noticed were closed the entire time, and glanced behind us. We turned around, and a Groudon was standing right behind us. We both darted away from it, taken by surprise.

Uxie let a light laugh escape, closing his eyes again, "There is no need to be startled. It is just an illusion. What you fought back there was no more than that."

I stepped forward and poked its ankle. It felt like a rough stone. Felt pretty real to me. "Say, but it flattened Connor by stepping on him! How can an illusion do that?"

He smirked, "Just because it is an illusion does not mean that it does not have real physical properties. Many before you have managed to defeat my Groudon, and make their way to this spot, but they were trespassers! So, I erased their memories… And as thus, protected the existence of the lake."

I lightbulb went off in my head, "Oh! That's right! Uxie, we were wanting to ask you something. I'm Vulcan, by the way. And this is my best friend and partner, Connor! A Mudkip now, but at one point, a human!"

Uxie tilted his head, "Oh, really? A human?"

"Yeah… Connor lost all his human memories, though. So, that lead us to wonder… Did you possibly take his memories? A human stopping by here would be difficult to miss, right?"

Uxie replied after only a brief moment, "...No. The answer is that no human has ever come here. I apologize."

Connor sighed, and Uxie went on, "I should explain further… I only take away their memories of the lake. I am forbidden from erasing all memories from a living thing. I had nothing to do with your friend's memory loss. Or his transformation to a Pokemon. The cause lies elsewhere."

I sighed, "Okay… Well, Connor, your memories weren't lost here… Guess that we'll just have to keep loo-"

Suddenly, a happy voice came from behind me, "A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Too bad! We can't take a Time Gear!"

We turned around, and sure enough, the pink fluffball was skipping towards us, a perfect apple perched atop his head.

"Wigglytuff! W-when did you-?"

He ignored us, running up to the edge of the overhang, "Wow! Fantastic! Hiya, Uxie!"

Uxie tilted his head, "And who might this be?"

I laughed, and Connor replied, "Our Guildmaster."

Wigglytuff walked up to Uxie, "Nice to meet you, friend! Friendly friend!"

He walked up to the Groudon, "Friend! Hiya, friend! Glad to meet you, friend!"

Then he walked up to the overhang, "Look at this amazing view! I'm delighted we came! La dee daa~! Dee la lee~!"

Then, we heard some more commotion behind us, and the rest of the guild came up behind us.

When they saw the Groudon illusion, they all backed away, stopping in their tracks, each one shouting in surprise. Uxie made the illusion vanish and apologized, introducing himself.

We heard a bubbling noise, and suddenly, a huge geyser erupted from the center, making a huge fountain that glowed from underneath, with Volbeat and Illumise circling around it, giving it the illusion of a starry fountain.

I was taken aback by the absolute beauty of this place… And let's just say that 'beautiful' wasn't even close to describing how pretty the sight was.

Everyone gave their opinions on the view from the lake, and we finished with Wigglytuff saying, "The treasure… It must be the view of Fogbound lake!"

I turned to Connor as we watched the geyser, "Sorry we didn't find anything about your memories, Connor… But I'm glad that we got to be here, to enjoy this sight with all of our friends."

Connor nodded, "Yeah… Same here. We didn't learn who I am, but this trip has been worth every moment and every bit of pain."

After staring at the geyser for a little while longer, it died down, and Wigglytuff gathered us up, and afterwards, turned to Uxie, "Sorry to have disturbed you! Had a fantastic time! Friend! Friendly friend!"

Uxie nodded, and seemed to be thinking, "...I will not take away your memories of this place. You have earned my trust. But I must ask that you keep this place a secret."

Wigglytuff nodded, "Of course! Thank you! We all know what we need to do! You know, another Time Gear has been stolen! This one must stay safe! We won't mention this place to another soul outside of our guild! I swear it in the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

Uxie nodded, "Please hold true to that promise."

Wigglytuff just nodded again, "Well! Let's be on our way! Chatot, can you do the honors?"

Chatot nodded, flapping his wings, "Of course, Guildmaster!" He turned to all of us, "Everyone! We're headed back to the guild!"

"HOORAY!"

We spent the next day travelling as a group to the guild, chatting about what we'd do when we got back, and constantly emphasizing that we were not to tell anybody. I asked about our team mates, Atlas and Vincent, and Wigglytuff gave the okay to tell them.

I turned to Connor, "Well… Back to training after today."

He nodded, "Back to training."

* * *

_**This chapter was a bit long, but I couldn't find a good stopping point until the ending. Anywho, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love!  
-PL**_


	14. Back to Training

**-Chapter 14: Back to Training-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

"UP AND AT "EM! IT'S MORNING!"

I rubbed my head, and Connor buried his face in the hay of his bed, "Ugh… One thing I didn't miss about this place. The alarm clock."

We got back to the guild at about sunset last night. Atlas and Vincent were excited to see us, especially when we mentioned the expedition. We told them about the awesome view, and even about the Time Gear, except we mentioned it in their tent to avoid any eavesdroppers.

They threw us a 'welcome back' juice party at the Spinda's Cafe, and we drank until we couldn't any more. Connor won, chugging five cups of apple juice; Atlas came in second, with four, and Vincent and I tied, with three and a half.

Anywho, we woke up, and booked it to the morning address.

After the cheers, I was so excited to be back at the guild… Connor seemed a little worse for wear, but hey, he literally got turned into a mudcake by that Groudon illusion. I'd be in pain too, even with a reviver seed.

I turned to him, "Come on, let's keep up the good work!"

Connor shrugged, "Yeah…"

I looked at him, "Come on! We're home, Connor! Show a little more spirit!"

He smiled, "Yeah… I'm just not feeling it today."

I shrugged, "Oh, well. What're you gonna do?"

Suddenly, Loudred's voice echoed throughout the guild, "WHAT?! You can't identify the FOOTPRINT?!"

We turned, and he was shouting down the sentry hole, "WHAT do you MEAN?!"

Diglett's voice squeaked, "I'm trying to tell you! I don't know what I don't know!"

Loudred humphed, and Chatot flew up, "What seems to be the problem?"

Loudred replied, "We've got a visitor up top that Diglett can't identify! Diglett's an outstanding sentry, so for him to be stumped by footprints… It's rare!"

He turned to Connor and I, "Now, if THOSE two were doing sentry duty, that'd be no shocker!"

I countered, "We haven't gotten one wrong yet, Loudred. Keep talking."

Diglett's voice echoed up, "Come again? You want to meet our Guildmaster? Your name is… Dusknoir?! Oh! Please wait just a moment!"

Chatot and Loudred both perked up at the name.

"Dusknoir?! As in, the world-famous Dusknoir?!"

**-Connor's POV-**

I was clueless as to who they were talking about, so Vulcan and I both decided to wait back while everybody rushed in, following this 'celebrity'.

He squeezed down the ladder, and he was a big ghost type. Like, eight feet tall at least, with hands as big as me. Wigglytuff came out of his chambers and greeted the visitor.

"Welcome! Thank you for visiting! What an honor!"

The Dusknoir shook his head, his neck frill thing swaying, "Oh, no no no! Think nothing of it! The honor is entirely mine! There is no greater pleasure than visiting Wigglytuff's Guild! It is the most renowned guild on this side of Immanis! Hohoho!"

Still not getting it, Vulcan whispered, "Hey, Loudred, who's that pokemon?"

Then, Loudred, Sunflora, and Bidoof all turned around. Loudred said, "What?! You haven't heard of the world-famous explorer Dusknoir?!"

Vulcan sighed, "Sorry… I haven't exactly been kept updated. Did I miss a memo somewhere, or…?"

Sunflora shook her leaf hand, "Oh, that's not surprising, really! He's a new arrival on the scene. He became super famous almost overnight! They say his talents as an explorer are superexceptional!"

"Huh. So he's a big deal?"

She nodded, and Loudred spoke up, "He's rumored to have the strength of Basileus and the wisdom of Briar, the two Grovyles! He does all his exploring solo, and it seems like there's nothing in the world that he doesn't know about! Items, pokemon, seeds, you name it! He knows it!"

Vulcan seemed impressed, "He must be really strong to do that! And he knows that much?"

Loudred nodded, "So the rumor goes! But he HAS used his extensive knowledge to succeed in multiple explorations so far, so that's how I know that the rumors must be true!"

"Hm… Is he a regular here? Wigglytuff's acting like he's known him his whole life."

"No, this is his first time! That's probably why Diglett couldn't recognize him. I think the Guildmaster just met him for the first time too. That's just how the Guildmaster is. He acts like this every time he meets someone, even if it's his first meet 'n greet."

We all looked back, and Wigglytuff and Dusknoir seemed to be getting into a conversation about the expedition.

"Hmm. I see. Well, that must have been quite the disappointment for your guild."

"Yup! A huge waste of time! We didn't learn a thing about anything!"

_Wow… Wigglytuff's a really good bluffer. Heck, he didn't even change his expression!_

"Hm… I had heard that the guild was mounting an expedition to find the elusive Fogbound Lake. I came here hoping to hear of your greatest triumph yet..."

"Sorry! We didn't learn a thing!"

Dusknoir waved his hand, "Not at all! It's no trouble to me! This gave me an opportunity to visit you! I plan to stay in Treasure Town for a short while. May I visit you occasionally during my stay? Your guild receives a constant update of news. Good information would be a big help on my explorations."

"No problem! Other exploration teams visit us all the time! You're always welcome here!"

Then Wigglytuff followed up by turning to us, "Everyone! This is Dusknoir! He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him! Dusknoir is very famous, and quite knowledgeable, so I bet you all want to get advice from him. But let's not overdo it! We don't want to be a nuisance!"

Chatot added on while walking forward, "Now, everyone, our guest may be famous, but don't embarrass the integrity of this guild by asking him for autographs!"

Dusknoir laughed, "No, no! If it's autographs you want, I'm sure I can oblige. But… Information? I'm afraid you flatter me. I have very little information. However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you. If there's anything you wish to ask of me, please don't hesitate."

Everyone cheered, even Vulcan, but I kept staring at him… _Something's off about him… I've got that same feeling I felt with those three we rescued right before we went on the expedition… I know him from somewhere… And that marking…_

There was a familiar marking on his bicep, and I couldn't help but notice it. Nobody else seemed to be interested in it, but it looked so familiar to me…

_Oh, well… I'll play it safe around him. Names are a no-go, and no mentioning I was a human. That might set off a red flag._

After the applause ended, Chatot spoke up, "Come now, everyone! You're dismissed!"

Everybody cleared out while Dusknoir remained talking with the Guildmaster. Chatot glanced to us, "Oh! You two! I'd started saying you assignment for the day. You are to look over the job bulletin board and outlaw notice board. Take some of the listed jobs. That will do."

He left, and we went to the mission floor. We found Atlas and Vincent waiting for us at the outlaw notice board.

I raised an eyebrow, "You're off duty; What're you doing here?"

Atlas glanced around nervously, "Hey… Not here. Come back to our place."

Vulcan's tail burned green, and he tilted his head, "Your place?"

He nodded, "Vincent 'n I set up a tent right here in Treasure Town. Vulcan, you're gonna want to hear what we have to say."

Vulcan nodded, and we went to their tent. I'll admit, they set up a pretty decent shelter. They had six bunk beds set into the relatively tight space, but it still felt roomy, with enough room for an Aggron to move in a full circle without restraint.

"How come you got so many beds in here?"

Atlas smiled, "Well, Vincent 'n I aren't the only members you're recruiting, right?"

I nodded, "No, of course not."

Vincent smiled cheekily, "Point proven. We made preparations for any future team members!"

Atlas left the tent for a moment before walking back in and closing the entrance.

"Take a seat, please."

We both sat down, and Atlas took a deep breath, clapping his hands together, "Well… Where to start…"

Vincent cut him off, "We got this sketchy group out to get you."

I tilted my head, "Out to get us?"

Atlas waved his hand, "No, not you, just Vulcan. Some Bisharp went wrecking the Café, but Vincent got him good. Beat him senseless."

Vincent shrugged, "Yeah… I did, didn't I…"

Vulcan seemed interested now, "What did they say?"

Atlas shrugged, flexing his arms experimentally, "He was just lookin' for you. Didn't give away any information. There were a whole bunch of 'em snooping around Treasure Town, and most of them looked _tough._ Like, I don't think that you 'n Connor could take 'em. And that's being brutally honest. I'm glad that you were out on the expedition. There was a Blastoise, and this team, maybe the leaders? There was a Seviper, Haxorus, Klinklang and… A, uh… Vince, what's the name I'm lookin' for?"

"A Banette?"

"Yes! Those four walked in after the Bisharp got a good butt kicking, flanked by a Blastoise with a nasty lookin' scar on his leg. Vincent and I booked it out of there and kept our heads low until they left."

Vincent added on, "Oh! The Seviper gave us a name! The Bisharp!"

Atlas' eyes grew larger, "Oh, yeah! His name was… Morn-something…"

Vulcan interrupted, "Mordred."

Atlas nodded, "Yeah! Wait, you know him?"

Vulcan shrugged, "I recognize the name. But those four… The team… Sounds a lot like that team we almost apprehended before we left for the expedition!"

Vincent nodded, "That explains why they're out to get you. Probably looking to get some payback."

Atlas shrugged, "Oh, well. They're gone for now. We just need to keep our guard up. Here, we got seven missions to Craggy Coast. Your wonder maps being more filled in makes more dungeons available to get missions from. Most of 'em are pretty tough; Mind if Vince and I tag along? We've been dying to see where you went."

Vulcan nodded, "Sure. Let's see what we got…"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

We ended up having two search and rescues, three outlaws, one with a monster house, and two item fetching quests. All of them were at least S rank, so we were going to be raking in the experience today.

It took us a while to get there, and when we did, it was a bit easier for me and Connor; Atlas and Vincent were out of practice, so they were having a tougher time; Nothing we couldn't handle, though.

When we got to the monster house, I threw down a petrify orb, which probably saved us from being beat later, and when we got through plowing them down for experience, a Dratini of all pokemon slithered up to us, "You are really strong… And, um… I was wondering if I could be part of your team?"

It was a girl, which caught me by surprise, but I nodded, "A Dragon type would be quite beneficial… What's your name?"  
She smiled, swirling in a circle, "My name's Rose!"

Vincent smirked, "Rose?"

She nodded, "Mmhm. Why, is something wrong?"

Vincent shook his hand, "Oh, no, it's not that, it's just that typically flowers are sort of frail and dragon-types are… I dunno, never mind."

The Dratini blushed a little bit, "Oh… Okay."

Suddenly, our badges started pulsing, and Connor received a letter that was dropped from thin air right in front of us.

He opened it, "We're only allowed to have four members in a single dungeon at one time…? What? Dangit!"

Rose nodded, "Um… Should I go back, or do you want me to stay with you, or-"

Atlas turned to us, "I'll head back. Marowak promised me a personal training session!"

I tried to argue, but he held up his hand, "No buts."

Vincent giggled, "Heh... Butts."

Atlas tapped his badge, and was whisked away in a flash of light.

Rose slithered forward, "Hey… Um, what now?"

I thought about it, "Well, we've got a couple more missions to do; Let's see what you're made of, Rose!"

She smiled slightly, "I don't know… I've never really been in a fight before…"

Vincent shrugged, "I could probably help teach you… Let me see what I can do."

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a rainbow swirl of paint that molded and morphed together until he was a Dratini.

He slithered in circles, "Ta-Da~!"

Rose looked at him intriguingly, "You…?"

He nodded, his voice slightly deeper, "Yeah… I can transform. Pretty sweet, huh?"

He looked forward, "So… What moves do you know?"

She thought about it slightly, "Um… Thunder wave, twister, wrap, dragon breath and slam. Is that good?"

Vincent-Dratini smiled, "Nothing we can't work with! I'm sure you'll be a great member on our team!"

So, he helped train rose how to properly fight to an extent while we were in that dungeon. When we finished the missions and got back to Treasure Town, we gave Rose a kind of essential tour of the place.

"And finally, here's Spinda's Café. Where we gather to brief on missions for the day. It's pretty sweet."

She nodded, "Alright, that's pretty cool; Where do I sleep?"

Atlas gestured to Treasure Town, "We got a tent in Treasure Town with four spare beds; You can crash there for now."

She shrugged, "Alright, fine by me. Um, Vincent?"

He turned to her, now being back in Smeargle form, "Hm?"

"You think you could teach me how to use my abilities better?"

He nodded, "Of course. We're a team! We can't succeed apart!"

Connor and I nodded, "Well, you three are dismissed for tonight. See you all tomorrow!"

They all waved, minus Rose, but she waved her tail, which counted, I guess.

We went to the mission floor, got our rewards, which equaled up to a couple TMs, a few gummis, some other miscellaneous items, and a total of 2,600 poké for us to keep! Woohoo!

Connor and I went to our beds, "Alright; We had a great turn out today! Let's see what kind of success we can conjure up tomorrow!"

**-Skuntank's POV-**

_Blast those stupid Guild members… They just… Forgot about us?! _

Koffing and Zubat were muttering about how badly we got our butts whooped, "Ch-chief… We really got put in our place on that last expedition…"

Zubat cringed, but I was undeterred, staring at the closed entrance of the Guild. "Chaw-haw-haw… Wigglytuff wrecked us… And I'm not about to let it go! So humiliating! I need payback… One way or another. But to be brutally honest, we don't stand against Wigglytuff. Grrr! I'm so furious! It's burning me up!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! There's got to be some way to get back at him!"

"Heh-heh-heh. I'd settle for picking on some wimps. Oh, hey! Instead of Wigglytuff, why don't we get those wimps Team Firestorm back for what they did?"

I perked up, turning around, "Great idea! Chaw-haw!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! But we can't face them directly. If only there was a way to clean sweep 'em while they're tired…"  
I smiled, "Time to do some plotting, boys! Chaw-haw-haw!"

* * *

_**Yet another new character! If you want to check out any of the new members of Team Firestorm, then check out my exploration team files on my profile! It's a side story thing covering all the characters as they're introduced. As always, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	15. An Electric Challenge

**-Chapter 15: An Electric Challenge-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I looked around, confused. I was in a cave, not the guild. There were two Charizard leaning against the opposite wall, breathing heavily. One of them was black with red wings, while the other was the typical coloring. The black one, which was a male, panted, "They've found us… They know…"  
He clutched a small stone in his claws, and the underneath the female, a Charmander cowered. Not seeming to notice my presence, She looked down at it, "It will be alright, my darling…"

I looked at the charmander, then at the two Charizard even more closely. The male turned to his counterpart, "Alexandria, we have to go!"  
I gasped, "No way…"

The entrance of the cave that had been blocked off began rattling, shaking as if something huge was pounding against it, and the male said, "Grab Vulcan! We have to go! We have to warn them!"

Alexandria grabbed the Charmander, and I stared at them as they fled through a back entrance. _That was me…? Is this a dream?_

Suddenly, I was in the field, following them as they flew overhead, and I saw Alexandria cradling me in her arms. Suddenly, two dark shapes knocked both of the Charizards out of the sky, and my father grunted, "Run! I'll hold them off!"

He handed Alexandria the small stone that he had been holding, and said, "Give it to Team Core. Tell them to give it to him when he's ready."

She shook her head, "Don't leave, Iden!"

He looked at her one last time, "Go! They will catch us all, then there will be no hope. You have to go on! I can handle them."

She nodded and scooped me up again, although watching this from my perspective made it so weird to observe. She began flying, and I watched as giant fireballs exploded around my father as he fought a strange group of shadowy pokemon.

**-Connor's POV-**

"Gah!"

Vulcan rolled out of bed again, just like a few days ago, looking scared and surprised. I raised an eyebrow after his shout jolted me awake, "Nightmare again?"

He nodded, "Mhmm… Yeah…" He felt the relic fragment around his neck, "Sorry… you can go back to sleep. It was nothing."

I nodded, "Hey… If you ever need to tell me something… I'm here for you, Vulcan."

"Thanks… You can go back to sleep, Connor."

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep for a few hours until we awoke the next morning.

"And… Three! Smiles go for miles!"

"Okay, pokemon! Time to get to work!"  
"HOORAY!"

After everyone went off to their respective posts, Chatot looked at us, "Oh, you two! I need you to run an errand today before you get to work."

I raised an eyebrow, "Errand? Sure. What is it?"

"I need you to run to the Kecleon Market and see if they have plans to stock perfect apples."

Vulcan gave a thumbs up, "That's it?"

"Correct. The guild's storage holds many perfect apples… Or, at least, it can… But the Guildmaster raids the storage while we're not looking and empties out the supply. And you know what happens if the Guildmaster is deprived of Perfect apples!"

Vulcan tilted his head, "Actually, we don't…"

Chatot continued, ignoring Vulcan, "But having to search for a fresh load of them is always a chore. Sending an exploration team to Apple woods every time the supply runs out is just too much work."

Vulcan nodded, "Ooh. It'll make things easier just to walk to Kecleon Market and buy a batch."

"Precisely."

We both nodded, "You got it, Chatot. We'll take care of it."

Chatot nodded, "Way to take charge!"

We walked down to the Kecleon Market, Atlas asking if he could use our badge to up the difficulty of the mazes in the Dojo. I gave him mine, and he dashed off. When we reached the Kecleon Market, we saw Dusknoir talking to the brothers.

When we walked up, he turned our way, "Oh, hello there! You're from the guild, if I'm not mistaken?"

Vulcan nodded, "Yeah; We're team firestorm! We work at the guild! It's nice to officially meet you!"

I nodded, still not trusting this guy, "So whatcha doing? Shopping?"

He laughed warmly, "Oh, no, simply enjoying a chat!"

The Green Kecleon chimed in, "I hailed him down! The great Dusknoir is so very famous, so I couldn't pass up this opportunity! And what do you know? The great Dusknoir is so worldly and wise. I am thoroughly impressed!"

I nodded, "So, you really live up to your reputation, huh?"

_Well… I don't know. Something about the mark on his arm just ticks me off… Like, it shouldn't be there, or something… But EVERYBODY seems to know about him, so whatever._

The Kecleon snapped me out of my thoughts, "So, what have you come here for today, Connor? How may I be of assistance? Decided to go shopping? We have the finest wares in Immanis!"

I replied, "Sorry, but no. We came to ask you something. Do you have any plans to stock perfect apples here at the market?"

The Kecleon tilted his head, "Hmm... I see, perfect apples? I am afraid that we do not have any plans to stock perfect apples. I am sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh. That's too bad. Chatot won't like to hear that."

Then, we all heard a shout, "Azurill, hurry up!" Followed by, "Wait for me!"

Marill and Azurill ran by and stopped when the Kecleon Bros. greeted them.

"Oh, hi, misters Kecleon!"

Marill noticed us, "Oh! And Team Firestorm too!"

Vulcan smiled, "Hey, guys! What's the big rush? You got a date or something?"

Marill smiled, giggling, "No, nothing like that. You know how we were looking for our lost item?"

I nodded, "You mean the one from before?"

"Yes! An item called a Water Float!"

Dusknoir chimed in, "A Water Float? Now, that is quite the precious item!"

Marill turned to Dusknoir, "Oh, yes! That's why we've been looking for it for a long time."

Azurill jumped up, "And then, somebody told us that they saw a water float on the beach today!"

Marill nodded, "We're hurrying to the beach now!"

Suddenly, my head fin felt something strange in the air behind us. I turned, but nothing was there, so I sort of narrowed my eyes and turned back to listen to the kids.

Vulcan smiled, "Good for you! Glad to hear that you've found it!"

Both of the brothers agreed, then rushed off towards the beach.

The Kecleon bros. Asked about the item, not knowing what it was, and Dusknoir basically said it was a boost item made for Azurill. I sort of tuned him out, listening for anything behind me.

Atlas gave me back my badge, and Vulcan suddenly jumped up, "That's right! We have to report to Chatot!"

When we got there, Chatot didn't exactly take the news well. "What?! They have no plans to stock them?! What am I supposed to do now?!"

I smiled, "You know, we could always go get some more. This time there should be more growing."

Chatot shook his head, "I am sure that you could, but the guild cannot afford to be sending exploration teams to complete such a chore. The only reason you got it before was because it was an emergency! Squawk! Basileus is an apple harvester, but I don't think he has perfect apples… Oh, well. I will have to go get them myself. You two just check the outlaw notice board and job bulletin. That will do for today."

We nodded, and decided to plan out a strategy in Spinda's Cafe. Atlas pointed out the slight dent in the wall where Vincent slammed Mordred the Bisharp.

We all got a good laugh, and Rose just sat there, coiled up, paying close attention to all of us. I asked if she was alright, and she replied, "I'm just trying to pay attention. I want to be as powerful as you guys!"

Vulcan pulled out a few TMs, "Alright, here's the haul-in from the past few days. I asked Electivire what moves you guys could learn, so the choice is up to you here. Rose, you can learn a lot of moves that Atlas can't, and vice versa. Vincent, you can learn any move they learn, so I don't want to hear your complaining."

He crossed his arms jokingly, "Fine! Let's at least see what we've got."

I handed out the TMs, "Either one of you could learn Flamethrower; Who do you think could utilize it better?"

Vincent gestured to Atlas, "When I think of a Machop, I don't think of a firebreathing ninja. But a dragon? It's almost in the description."

I laughed, "Firebreathing ninja? Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I think that Atlas learning flamethrower would be more effective at catching the opponent off guard."

I turned to Rose, "Alright; You get thunderbolt anyways; You fine with that?"

She nodded, "Yup!"

So, I handed them each their respective TMs. They both didn't feel any different, but when we decided to go train, it was definitely evident.

Atlas used flamethrower in the grass dungeon to counter those pesky grass/poison types, which were resistant to his fighting moves, Rose tackled the water-type dungeon, in which I found that she can swim like a water-type through the water. Faster than Connor, even.

Along the way, I learned shadow claw with a TM; Vincent liked that move, so he sketched it.

We took turns gathering missions to Foggy Forest, and after we got six, we decided to head out. Vulcan sighed, "We can only bring four members, though. Who do we bring?"  
Atlas looked at our team, "Well, Rose 'n Vincent have type advantages; Vincent can learn some new moves out there, and some time in the field will allow Rose catch up to us. I'll just train some more in the Dojo."

I nodded, "Alright, then! Let's head out, team!"

We tackled three item fetching quests, one outlaw and two rescues. The Items were a bit tricky to find, especially since the fog had set back in since we'd left. After we bagged the Outlaw, we recruited a Tropius, which, according to my mystery dungeon guide, didn't live in this area. Anywho, he was big and powerful, so we nicknamed him Magnus and sent him back to the tent. We figured he'd be perfect for giving smack downs to a lot of opponents.

After another successful day, we dismissed the group, and went to eat dinner. Before we could chow down, Chatot stopped us, "Ahem! I have an important announcement!"  
That got him some angry looks, and after everybody quieted down, he said that another Time Gear was stolen. He said it was stolen from deep within boulder quarry. He quickly reminded us to keep quiet about the expedition, and after a few more outbursts, we ate dinner.

While I was eating, I couldn't stop thinking about the sensation I felt when looking at the Time Gear at Fogbound Lake. It was incredible. To think that somebody, somewhere, was stealing them just made me upset. I just hoped that Uxie was alright.

Vulcan tried to talk to me about it after dinner, but I was exhausted, so we went to sleep early that night.

**-?'s POV-**

_I knew that I'd have to face him, but I didn't expect an illusion…_

I made quick work of the fake guardian, and moved forward, knowing that the true guardian was there. I attacked him while keeping my eyes closed, to avoid his ability. When I had him on the ground, he muttered, "I should have done it. I should have taken their memories when I had the chance…"

I shook off my interest, _He said 'them'. So he hasn't been here already._

"I don't know what you're talking about… But nobody lead me here. No one told me about this place. I've known about the Time Gear here… For a long time… I have no quarrel with you, but I will be taking it now. The third Time Gear!"

**-Vulcan's POV-**

After morning cheers the next day, Loudred shouted, "You two! Team Firestorm!"

"Hm? What's up, Loudred?"

He replied, "You've got yourselves some Visitors!"

Connor tilted his head, "Visitors? Who?"

Loudred shrugged, "They're waiting at the Guild Entrance. Go see them!"

We climbed up the ladders, and when we got outside, Marill and Azurill were waiting for us. They quickly summed up what had happened, and Marill said, "We wanted to ask Team Firestorm for help!"

"Help? What kind of help?"

Azurill chimed in, "We need your help finding the water float!"

I tilted my head, "The item you were looking for yesterday? I thought you found it at the beach?"

"We didn't find it… But we found this note…"

He handed me a scrap of paper, and I read it, "Let's see… 'The Water Float from the beach is now in our possession. Just try and take it from us! We'll wait in the deepest part of Amp Plains. But knowing how weak and puny you are, you probably can't even reach us! Chaw-haw-haw! Can't handle it? Go cry to your big shot friends! Chaw-haw-haw!'"

I sighed, doing a face palm, "He even writes his stupid laugh in… What the heck…"

Marill looked at us expectantly, "You know who did it?"

"Yeah. They have your water float. It's better if you two don't get involved."

Marill looked disappointed, "But the water float is very important to us! We really want to get it back! But I can't take Azurill to such a dangerous place!"

Azurill piped up, "I said I would go too!"

Marill turned to his brother, "No. It's too much for you. The pokemon there are too tough. I don't want you put in any more scary scrapes!"

He turned back to us, "But so many electric type pokemon live there… I'm no match for them! I tried going so many times… But I always got knocked out right away… I just… c-can't stand how weak I am…"

The poor kid looked about in tears, and Vulcan smiled, "Hey, it's alright. They wanted us. They obviously picked a dungeon that we'd have some trouble in."

I smiled, "Yeah… They are a bunch of bullies. But don't you worry! We'll get your water float back. No more crying now, alright?"

Marill nodded, "Okay… Thank you so much! I'm sorry about bothering you…"

Vulcan laughed, "It's no problem!"

On the way to Treasure Town, I turned to Vulcan, "You think it was Team Skull? We haven't heard from them since the expedition."

I nodded, "It's definitely them. Nobody else has a laugh that dumb. And to think that I thought they finally stopped bothering us and got a life."

Vulcan laughed, and we went to our Team's Tent. Rose was passed out on a bottom bunk, Magnus was curled up on another bottom bunk, looking at us as we walked in, Vincent was morphing his hands into different shapes with paint, and Atlas was staring at the top of the tent, lying down on the bunk above Rose.

Vulcan began, "Guys; We got a mission."

Atlas rolled over to face us, "It's about time! What do we have in store?"

"We need to find a Water Float. Team Skull is almost certainly behind it. It's in a new dungeon that's crawling with electric types. Connor's at a serious disadvantage, but he knows a few ground type moves. We're going with a four-man team. Vincent, can you transform into a pokemon with lightningrod?"

He morphed into a Marowak, "Of course. Give me a challenge, sir. I'm ready to kick Team Skull's butts again."

I nodded, "Good. Um… Rose, Magnus, are you two alright staying here?"

Rose nodded tiredly, still laying down, "Mmhm. I'm alright, you guys go get it back… I'll be here."

She laid her head back down and closed her eyes again.

Magnus growled, but humphed, "Fine. Go. See if I care."

"That's settled then. Let's go!"

* * *

_**Boom! Chapter 15! I know it's a bit early to be discussing sequels and stuff, but I have a poll set up on my Profile for what story I should type next. I'm looking for a total of ten votes at minimum before I close it down, so if you're interested to see what's next, go ahead and check it out! As always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next update! Much love! **_

_**-PL**_


	16. Thunderstorm Vs Firestorm

**-Chapter 16: Thunderstorm Vs. Firestorm-**

**-Connor's POV-**

I'll admit, the trek there was easy enough. There weren't that many enemy pokemon outside of the dungeons.

When we got there, there were serious storm clouds overhead, with lightning and thunder, but no rain.

Vincent-Marowak looked around, "Amp plains, huh?"

Suddenly, a lightning strike hit him right in the head, startling all of us, but he absorbed it without so much as a flinch, "They really got names down with this place. I got Safeguard ready for when we get there."

So, we went into the dungeon, and I must say, I was kind of nervous that I'd get my butt handed to me. But Vincent's lightningrod reduced most of the enemies to using tackle and quick attack. Plus, Vincent could use bone club and bonemerang, both really good moves against the Electric types. He chuckled, "I'm keeping these moves for later! Haha!"

We got through the first half without a problem, and Vulcan wrote down our adventures in the adventure log, and he smirked, "Let's finish this! We're halfway there!"

**-Green Kecleon Bros.' POV-**

Marill and Azurill had come up to my brother and I explaining what had happened to their water float.

I gasped, "Ah, I see! What a mean thing to do! So, Connor's team is on their way there now?"

The little Azurill smiled, "Yup!"

Marill continued, "They said that they'd get it back for us!"

I grinned, "Good for you both! You may rest easy knowing that Team Firestorm is on the case!"

Marill nodded, "Yes, that's true! They even rescued Azurill once, remember? We are so grateful for their help!"

I saw the great Dusknoir floating down the road, and he came up to us, "Good day to you all! Is something the matter?"

My brother and I bowed, and my purple counterpart spoke first, "Hello, Dusknoir, sir! We were just discussing the whereabouts of Marill's lost item. Do you recall? We discussed this very item not that long ago."

The great Dusknoir nodded, "Of course. I believe that you're referring to the Water Float? I seem to recall that you had found it on the beach?"

I nodded, "Exactly! Exactly! But there is now more to the story!"

After filling the great Dusknoir in, he nodded thoughtfully, "I see. That is terrible indeed. It is hard to imagine why any pokemon would do something so wretched. It must take some pathetic thugs to stoop so low."

I nodded, angered by the very thought of who could be responsible, "I couldn't agree more! To be so mean spirited! And to children as young as these brothers, nonetheless! It's utterly unforgivable!"

My brother calmed me down with a hand on my shoulder, and Dusknoir glanced around, "Yes, one more thing… Where has Team Firestorm gone?"

Marill spoke up, "They went to Amp Plains."

Dusknoir swiftly turned to the older brother, "Pardon? Did you say Amp Plains? But there… This time of year… It's the season for-! No! This is ruinous! Team Firestorm is in great danger!"

"What?!"

He quickly wrapped a band around his arm, "I must leave for Amp Plains immediately!"

I called to him as he dashed off, demanding an explanation, but he melted into shadows and vanished into the ground.

**-Connor's POV-**

I honestly think that Vincent was the sole reason we made it through. We hit two monster houses on the second half of the dungeon, and his lightningrod ability stopped a lot of thunderbolt attacks. Along the way, Vincent figured out how to use his other sketch moves while transformed, so he was now a blue-winged Marowak, flying around and swooping in on an enemy, taking them by surprise.

Pretty soon, we made it to the end of the dungeon, a clearing with even more lightning and thunder than anywhere else.

Sure enough, the Water float was right on the other side of it.

Vulcan twitched uneasily, "Um… How do we go about this?"

Atlas crossed his arms, which had become even more muscular since we got back from the expedition, "It's obviously a trap. We can't just-! Hey!"

While we were talking, Vincent glided over to the opposite end. "See? Nothing happened. It's fine."

Then, as if on cue, the sky became dark. A voice echoed all around us, "Why are you here?! This is our territory!"

Vincent glided back to us, and I said, "Everyone! Back to back!"

We all huddled together, and the voice chuckled, "How cute… You group together when threatened. At least you know the uselessness in hiding or running."

I shouted, "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

I felt the air with my head fin, but the wind made it tough to sense anything.

"Ha ha ha! My name is Manectric! I am the leader of these Electrike!"

The area was lit again, and we were surrounded, the leader of the pack glaring at me, "Now, prepare to fight!"

Vincent slammed his bone club into the ground before they could move, triggering an earthquake all around us, and I followed up with an ice beam sweep while they were on the ground, freezing most of the Electrike. The Manectric was a bit tougher, but Atlas used focus energy followed up by low kick to trip the leader up. Vincent used bonemerang, and the Manectric was knocked back, falling to the ground. It honestly didn't last long at all.

He quickly got back up, and began glowing, "You… You dare?!"

Vulcan shouted, "Will you please let us expl-!"

The Manectric roared, "ENOUGH! Take this!" He fired a charged shot towards us, but Vincent's lightning rod didn't draw it in. I flinched, but Dusknoir appeared from the shadows in front of all of us, blocking the shot, "Stop! Stop this instant! Their words are sincere! They trespass, but do not intend to make claims on your territory!"

Manectric and his followers backed away, "You! Who are you?!"

"I am the explorer Dusknoir! Manectric, you have every right to be angry with these four! Especially in light of what your tribe has suffered on these grounds! Your hostility towards any that trespass here is natural! This place is your haven! A place where you can find solace! I understand that completely! On behalf of these unwitting trespassers, I offer my sincerest apology! They entered here unbidden, but did so without malice! They mean you no harm! We will leave you in peace as soon as our errand is complete! Please, believe me!"

The Manectric growled, then glanced to his Electrike, "Hmm… You know much about us, Dusknoir… You make the claim… That they mean no harm. ...So be it! I choose to believe your words, Dusknoir. I will allow you some time. I expect you to be gone by our return."

He turned to his Electrike, "Come." Then they all left.

I let out my breath, "Phoo! Thanks, Dusknoir! We didn't really want to get in another fight… Who were they, anyways?"

He looked down to us, "They are a nomadic tribe that always stays on the move. They roam in constant search of places hospitable for them. Amp Plains is often lashed by vicious storms this time of year, which they find to their liking. So, during this time, they dwell here."

He turned slightly, seeming sad, "But, tragically, they were once attacked here without warning… They suffered heavy losses…"

He shook his head, clearing out the emotional flare up, "Ever since, Manectric's group has been very sensitive about trespassers here. So, if anyone were to trespass here… Well, they would attack first, for fear of being attacked! Somehow, along the passage of time, this became a law amongst Manectric's group."

I nodded, "That's why they wouldn't listen to us… Oh, right! We gotta get the Water Float!"

Vulcan walked over to it, picking it up, and turned around, "I take it we got about five seconds before you-know-who shows up."

Dusknoir nodded, "Manectric's protection of this area is well known… Whoever put it there, placed it there deliberately…"

He turned to a boulder behind us, "So, why don't you show yourselves, you miserable cowards?!"

"...Chaw-haw-haw! So you knew all along! No point in hiding, then."

Team Skull walked out from behind one of the boulders in the clearing, laughing.

Vulcan's tail glowed a dark blue, "So… It was you who set us up for that fight!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Who else? We were going to wait for you to get stomped by Manectric, then mop up afterwards!"

"Heh-heh! But we didn't count on this guy meddling!"

Vulcan threw a fireball at them, and Vincent transformed into a Golurk, a giant clay pokemon, and even Dusknoir leaned forward as I shouted, "You ready for round two?!"

Skuntank laughed, knocking the fireball aside with his own attack, "Chaw-haw-haw! Sure, if it was just Team Firestorm. You'd bet we'd rough 'em up good!"

I scoffed, "Says the guy who lost the first time, then tried to wuss out the second time with an item."

Skuntank ignored me, "But against the world-famous Dusknoir? Different story! Let's skedaddle, boys!"

They dashed away, and Vulcan spat an ember on the ground, "Cowards!"

Dusknoir sat on a boulder, "Hmm… They certainly are quick when it comes to… Skedaddling. I'm afraid that our efforts would be wasted if we were to give chase now…"

He turned to Vincent momentarily, "You're dismissed, Golurk."

Vincent turned back into himself, "It's just me. I ain't a Golurk."

Dusknoir seemed a bit embarrassed, "Ah, yes… Old habits, I'm afraid. I apologize."

Vincent smiled and let the statement go, "How about that, though? Thunderstorm versus firestorm! The epic battle continues… In the next episode!"

Dusknoir floated back up, his stomach mouth smiling, "Let's get that item back to those brothers, shall we?"

We all nodded, and Dusknoir let us 'shadow travel' with him. We all joined hands, and melted into shadows. It was creepy, and I wouldn't recommend it if you're scared of the dark, sensitive to cold, or despise looking at everything from below the ground, like looking up through a black window into a night sky where everything is outlined in white.

When we came back to the physical world, it seemed like a matter of moments, we appeared from a shadow behind a tent in Treasure Town. We all walked out, and while Vincent and Atlas went back to check on rose, we returned the Water Float to the brothers. They were both so happy when we showed up.

Marill beamed, "You saved Azurill way back when, and now this! I don't know how we can thank you enough! But really… Thank you so much!"

Vulcan smiled, "No problem! If you should be thanking anybody, thank Dusknoir! If he hadn't showed up when he did, we probably wouldn't be here right now!"

They both thanked him, and he smiled, waving his hand, "No trouble at all. I'm very happy for you. It's wonderful that your water float has managed to be brought back to its rightful owners."

The Green Kecleon laughed, "I must say! It is so like the great Dusknoir to be so modest! And I must say that Team Firestorm has also been superb! After all, your team has completed yet another difficult job! When rescuing Azurill, you were so fast at pinpointing the child's whereabouts! And so fast at reaching our young friend, too!"

Vulcan smiled, "Well, it sounds cool when you say it like that. But that's not how it happened. We didn't know where Azurill was when we rescued him. My friend just happened to see it in a dream."

Dusknoir perked up, "Excuse me? Dream, you say? By dream, what do you mean?"

I raised an eyebrow, but let Vulcan continue. "Oh! Maybe you can explain it! You see, occasionally, he'll have little dizzy spells, and then see or hear something that happens in the past or future, having to do with the object, or something related to it!"

"What?! Well, that… That's... the Dimensional Scream!"

I tilted my head, "What's that mean?"

Vulcan leaned over to me, "If he knows about your ability, then maybe he knows about your forgotten past! There's no harm in asking!"

I shook my head, "Let's be sparing with how much information we share about me. I don't know how many enemies I had in my past life. Sure, I'm grateful, but we don't _know_ him."

Vulcan shrugged, and before I could stop him, he told Dusknoir about how he found me on the beach with amnesia and everything. Dusknoir asked to be lead to the exact spot, and when we got there, he spoke up, "I see… So your friend was found unconscious right here… Then he awoke with no memories but a name?"

Vulcan nodded, "Yeah, and that he was-"

"HURT! Very hurt! Vulcan… Let me do the talking for now. You're telling him from your perspective. Let me explain myself."

Dusknoir crossed his arms, "So… You awoke with nothing but the memory of a name...? And what might that name be?"

I nodded, "John. That's my name." Vulcan raised an eyebrow, but when Dusknoir turned around I whispered, "Just go with it…" I smiled as he turned back to face us, "Well, we need to get back to the Guild for dinner! See you later! Come on, Vulcan."

Dusknoir extended his hand, "Wait! I may not know of your memory loss, but I do know of the ability you possess. I should at least give you that information."

I nodded, wanting to get out of there, but Vulcan was just dying to figure this out for me. "Alright. What is it?"

"The ability to see the future or past by touching something… That ability is known as the dimensional scream."

"That's the name?"

He nodded, "How such an ability is learned, I do not know, but sounds and images slice across time and space to manifest as visions. That is all I know of the extraordinary ability."

I nodded, "That's cool! Now, if you'll excuse us, Chatot will be all over us if we're late to Dinner!"

We started to walk, when suddenly he went on, "However… I still wish to help you with your memory loss. I will offer you my full cooperation. To be perfectly candid… I can't stand knowing that there's something I do not know! Quite honestly, that's the truth of it! Ha ha ha!"

I nodded, and Vulcan remained quiet, thankfully, "Well…" Suddenly, I perked up, sensing something with my head fin, "What's with all the Pelipper?"

I looked to the sky, and Vulcan agreed, "There's a ton of them… Is something going on?"

Dusknoir stroked his chin thoughtfully, "That is vexing… What could be the matter?"

"Hey!"

We all turned, and Bidoof ran down the beach to us, "I… Huff… Finally found you all…"

I looked at him, realizing something important must be going on, "Bidoof… What happened?"

He caught his breath, "The call has been put out! All apprentices are to report to the guild immediately!"

"Let's go, Vulcan!"

Dusknoir floated forward, "I will go with you!"

Bidoof jumped up, "Let's go, everyone!"

We were all lead to the guild, and we went down to the mission floor, where everyone was gathered in front of the outlaw notice board.

"Everyone's here! Yup yup!"

I apologized for holding us up, then Vulcan glanced around, his tail glowing yellow, "Chatot, what's going on?"

Chatot cringed, "Another Time Gear was Stolen!"

The entire guild erupted into conversation, and Chatot _let _them talk.

Something told me I wouldn't like the answer, but I asked, "Where was this one…?"

Chatot sighed, "This time… It was from… Um… Uh…"

Bidoof tilted his head, "What's the problem? Is it somewhere you don't want to talk about?

Suddenly, Vulcan leapt up, spontaneously combusting for a moment before calming himself, "No… No way it was from-!"

Sunflora nodded, "Yes… It was… This time… The Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen!"

* * *

_**Oh noooo! Fogbound Lake! Anywho, as always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did. There is a poll set up in my profile discussing which story I should type next after Firestorm Origins. Be sure to give it a look and a vote, because I can't begin working on the next story for you guys until I receive at least ten votes! I don't want to be 'that guy' but that's how it stands! For those of you that might overlook it, it's at the top of my profile as soon as you visit it. Much Love! **_

_**-PL**_


	17. Search for the Time Gears

**-Chapter 17: Search for the Time Gears-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

I couldn't believe this news, "How did that happen?! Only we knew about the Time Gear! How could the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake get stolen?!"

Chatot simply looked to the floor, so I jumped to the worst outcome. "No… Did somebody talk?"

Everyone turned to me, and Loudred shouted, "WHAT?! That was uncalled for!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you trust your fellow members?!"

I stepped back a bit, "Sorry… I just don't know how else it could've happened… But you're all right. Nobody would break that promise."

Sunflora nodded, "Well, it's no wonder that you'd leap to that conclusion! I mean, this horrible thing did happen right after our expedition."

"Just one moment!" Everyone turned to Dusknoir, and he looked at the Guildmaster, "I'm afraid that I don't quite understand… There was a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake? I was not aware of that… Did I not hear quite a different tale about your recent expedition? I recall being told that your expedition to Fogbound Lake ended in failure."

Wigglytuff sighed, "I apologize, great Dusknoir. We made a promise. A promise not to tell anyone… Not even you."

Chatot continued, "Anyway… A lone intruder slipped into Fogbound Lake… Knocked out Uxie… and made off with the Time Gear."

Connor stepped forward, "Is Uxie alright?"

Chatot nodded, "Yes. Uxie is fine."

Wigglytuff added on, "He's under the protection of Magnezone's squad. No need to worry."

Connor seemed relieved, "That's good…"

Chatot smiled, then went on, "There's more… According to Uxie's victim statement… The intruder's identity has been revealed."

Bidoof stepped forward, "Then fess up! What kind of critter are we dealing with?"

"There's already a wanted poster up for the thief. See for yourselves."

We saw the wanted poster smack in the middle.

_Grovyle the thief. Wanted for the theft of Three Time Gears. Assumed to be extremely strong and dangerous. If sighted, notify Officer Magnezone immediately._

I looked at the poster, "You know… That looks an awful lot like Basileus…"

Chatot nodded, "Officer Magnezone has already run a background check on Basileus, and we can confirm that this is not him. The Grovyle in question bears two markings, one on each arm. It is unknown what they mean, but we can use them as a reference to narrow down the search."

**-Connor's POV-**

I looked at the poster, and I felt the same feeling like at fogbound lake, except that I know him… From somewhere.

I looked at the markings on his arms on the poster, and I glanced to Dusknoir. He had a band wrapped around his arm, covering his marking, which made me wonder...

Vulcan leaned to me and whispered, "He's the one that we rescued right before Fogbound Lake! Seth told us to go rescue him from that group, remember?"

I nodded, still not liking this whole situation, "Yeah… I remember."

Bidoof shuddered, "Oof! That's one nasty piece of work!"

Chatot continued, "This wanted poster just arrived. It was issued based on Uxie's statement. It arrived as part of an all-points bulletin."

Bidoof nodded, "Oh, that figures! That's why all those Pelipper were flying around!"

"Officer Magnezone obviously doesn't want to see things worsen. They've put a remarkably high bounty on the thieving Grovyle."

I looked to the floor, so embarrassed, "We promised Uxie we wouldn't tell anyone… And now this…"

Sunflower's petals drooped, "We didn't leak the secret, but… I'm still ashamed to show my face in front of Uxie now!"

I heard a strange noise, "Urrrr…" Wigglytuff seemed to be… growling.

Chimecho turned, "Hey! Guildmaster…!"

Chatot quickly backed away, "G-G-Guildmaster!"

The room started shaking while Wigglytuff's growls got louder.

"Urrrrrrrr…! YOOM-TAH!" There was a flash of light, and the shaking stopped. For the first time since I'd apprenticed here, Wigglytuff looked… Serious!

Everyone was silent from the shock, and he shouted, "Everyone! We'll catch Grovyle! We'll catch that thief! I vow it upon the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

He turned to Chatot, "Chatot, if you will!"

Chatot shook his head, still in shock, but he replied, "Y-Yes! Everyone turned to him and he announced, "Okay, everyone! From here on out, we are putting our full focus on capturing Grovyle! Do your best to bring Grovyle to justice!"

Everyone cheered, and Dusknoir spoke up, "Wigglytuff... I believe I understand the situation now. I will join in your guild's pursuit of Grovyle."

Wigglytuff's serious face dropped for a moment to thank Dusknoir, then after everyone gave their thanks, Dusknoir chuckled, "No, no! The honor is mine."

Chatot continued, "At present, the Guildmaster and I shall confer! We will devise a strategy for finding Grovyle. In the meantime! You should all start preparing to go on searches! Return here when you are ready to leave. Okay, everyone! Let's outdo ourselves!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody filed out, and I turned to Vulcan, "Come on, Vulcan! Let's go catch up with the team!"

He nodded, and we went out to our secondary tent, where the rest of the team lived. Vulcan and I checked in, and Rose was fully awake and ready to rumble, along with Atlas and Magnus. Vincent was the one napping this time, and when he awoke, he smiled, "Hey, guys. What'd I miss?"

We filled them all in, and after the explanation, Atlas crossed his arms, "Well, if this Grovyle freak can muscle his way past Uxie, then you're going to need me and Magnus."

Vulcan shook his head, "We don't know what kinds of pokemon we're going to be facing. I want to bring Vincent and you."

Magnus humphed, "Whatever."

I turned to Rose, "Hey, you don't mind all this off-time you're getting, right?"

She shook her head, "No, it's fine…"

I smiled, "Good. After all this Time Gear stuff rolls over, then you can definitely participate more!"

She nodded, "Alright… Thanks, Vulcan…"

Magnus stood up, his head nearly hitting the top of the tent, "I'm getting a drink."

He followed along behind us, ducking through the entrance, and Atlas asked, "So… Why does Rose sleep so much?"

Vincent turned his head, "I train her in combat. She's actually really powerful in her own regard. Not everybody has non-tiring muscles like you, Atlas."

Atlas shrugged, "Whatever. I won't judge."

Magnus growled and flew over us straight to Spinda's Cafe.

Vincent looked at me, "You think that we'll get any new team members while we're out looking for Grovyle?"

I shrugged, "I hope so, Vincent."

After that, we went to the Guild to meet up and discuss how to approach this while Atlas and Vincent waited in the Café.

Chatot started the conversation, "Now, I see everyone's with us! First and foremost! This should go without saying… Grovyle appears wherever Time Gears are located! But where are the Time Gears? That is the question we are faced with! But we have no answer. And therefore, we have relied on the great Dusknoir for ideas. Together, we have identified several locations where the TIme Gears may be found. We ask that everyone split into groups and investigate each of these potential sites."

He looked to all of us, "First! Loudred and Corphish! I'm assigning you to the eastern forest. It's a huge forest far to the east, of course."

"Got it!"

"Hey, hey! We'll do our best!"

He glanced at Sunflora, "Next! Sunflora, Bidoof and Dugtrio! We'd like you to search Crystal Cave."

"Yup yup! Will do!"

"Understood."

"Oh my gosh! I'll search hard!"

"And finally, Connor and Vulcan! You two will search the Northern Desert. Open your wonder map."

Vulcan rolled it out, and Chatot pointed out where it was.

"See? This area on the map is obscured by the clouds… But dry terrain starts in this area here. That's why it's rumored that a vast desert extends from this point onward. We suspect that a Time Gear is hidden in the depths of the desert. That is where we are sending you to investigate."

Vulcan rolled the map up, "Consider it done!"

Diglett murmured, "Um… What about me…?"

Chatot turned to him, "You, Croagunk and Chimecho are staying behind at the Guild. We can't leave it completely empty!"

Chimecho nodded, "The work we do here is important too. Let's make sure we keep up the good work!"

Diglett nodded, "Y-yeah!"

Wigglytuff ended the meeting with a "YOOM-TAH!" and Dusknoir floated up to us, "You two… The northern desert is not only massively wide and deep, but it is raked with vicious sandstorms… Please, take care!"

I nodded, "You bet!"

After that, we set out for Northern Desert after getting Atlas and Vincent.

Just like Dusknoir said… As soon as we got close, the air got really hot and dry.

I glanced to Vulcan, and we both nodded, "Alright. Let's do this."

We all set into the desert, and I quickly figured out that I didn't like it. The heat was intense, weakening my water-type moves, the sand was blazing hot, and sand blew everywhere!

Vincent just transformed into an Onix and tunneled alongside us, so the sand wasn't a problem for him. and Atlas had his power band tied around his face and head like a turban, protecting from the sandstorms.

I'll admit, he looked like a boss with it over his face, but pretty soon I had to do that as well with my stamina band.

The fights were pretty quick for the most part. Vincent just scared most enemies off by popping out of the ground and roaring, then laughing about it when we were alone. The enemies that actually had the guts to face him were put down quickly by all four of us.

We never saw the telltale glow of the Time Gear, and Vulcan actually got sucked into a sand trap, but Vincent raised him out of it. The Trapinch at the bottom asked to join our team afterwards.

He nodded, "Sure. You have a name?"

She shook her head, and Vincent thought about it, then declared, "Mirage! I think it'll suit you."

She nodded, and after she got a badge, she was transported back to Treasure Town.

Vincent smirked, his form towering above us, "I hope that Rose isn't too put off by a random Trapinch joining the team."

**-Vulcan's POV-**

Not long after that, we made it to some quicksand pits, marking a dead end.

Atlas ran his hand through it, letting the sand fall between his fingers, "Quicksand? Huh. Guess it's not uncommon for a desert to have them."

Vincent turned back into a Smeargle as I sighed, "Well, this looks like a dead end… I don't see a way forward, or a Time Gear."

Connor just had that same blank stare like at foggy forest, and when I tried to talk, it's like nothing I said went through.

Vincent tapped Connor, and he shook the look off, "Huh? What's up?"

"Vulcan just said that there's no way forward. We hit a dead end."

Atlas shrugged, "Well, let's head back and report what we found."

We made our way back to Treasure Town, and Atlas and Vincent went back to their tent to check in with the new recruit.

Meanwhile, we checked in with Chatot, and everybody else reported the same thing. Nothing but dead ends. No Time Gears.

Connor tilted his head, "So nobody found anything? That's kind of hard to believe."

Dugtrio sighed, "It is disappointing."

"Hey, hey! We went to the eastern forest just like we were told, but hey! There's nothing really there but forest!"

Bidoof didn't seem that upset, "And same for Crystal Cave, yup yup! It was chock full of crystals! Mighty pretty cave, I tell you! It was so pretty I just couldn't help… Helping myself to a crystal."

He held up a shiny blue stone, and Sunflora seemed shocked, "Oooh, when did you pick that up? I was with you the whole time, and never noticed!"

Dugtrio's three heads alternated speaking, and they all sounded mad, "Bidoof…"

"Our mission was to find a Time Gear."

"We all failed to achieve our objective…"

"But you had the nerve to collect a souvenir, completely unrelated to the mission…"

"Who do you think you are?!"

Bidoof cringed, "Oof! I'm sorry! I just wanted a little treasure for myself, that's all…"

Chatot turned to Dusknoir, who was leaning against the wall, observing Connor and I, "Dusknoir, sir, I regret to say it. Our search efforts ended fruitlessly."

Dusknoir crossed his arms, now looking at Chatot, "Ah… This is truly vexing. I thought that the locations selected held promise. I blame my lack of knowledge. I am truly chastened."

"My goodness, no! You mustn't blame yourself! Why, it was only thanks to your vast knowledge that we were able to come up with a plan at all!"

Dusknoir shook his head, "Nonetheless, our efforts have ended in failure. That's a fact. But being hard on ourselves is pointless. Let us reconsider our plan. We'll devise a different strategy tomorrow."

Chatot nodded, "Yes, let's do that! And may we find success together! Chatot turned to us, "That's how it stands, everyone! That's enough work for today! Rest up, and prepare for tomorrow!"

"UNDERSTOOD!"

Vulcan turned to me, "Hey, Connor, I want to go open some of the treasure boxes we found. Let's go to Xatu appraisal.

I nodded, "Lead the way."

When we got there, we pulled out every box from storage, which totaled about twenty-seven, and stacked them up. Xatu said it's 150 poké to appraise per box, so we did some quick math and grabbed 4050 poké from Duskull. After he opened them all, we traded in ten total items for two rare ones at Croagunk's swap shop. A Dragon Sash for Rose, which basically made her almost invisible in foggy weather, and a Paint Scarf for Vincent, which made finding secret stairs a lot easier.

After we handed them each their respective items, we went back to the guild to prepare for the next day.

* * *

_**Found the list of all the exclusive items online so I have them! I'm so excited! Thanks for sticking through with me people! The support's much appreciated! As of right now I've received two votes on the poll, so be sure to vote for which story you want next! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, or didn't. If you got any concerns or questions, PM me, and I will do my best to get back to you within the day. Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	18. Tricks of the Desert

**-Chapter 18: Tricks of the Desert-**

**-Connor's POV-**

The next morning, Chatot made another announcement, "Ahem! That brings us back to today… Presently, the great Dusknoir and I are working out a new strategy. While we develop this strategy… We ask that you search for the Time Gears on your own initiative. That is all. Alright, everyone! Work hard again today!"

"HOORAY!"

After everybody filed out, I turned to Vulcan, "Hey… I want to check out the Quicksand pits again."

Vulcan tilted his head, "Huh? We were just there! You saw it yourself, there was nothing!"

I nodded, "Yeah, but still… I got the same feeling I did at Fogbound Lake, like I've been there before… I want to go check it out."

Vulcan sighed, but nodded, "Alright. Were your feet alright yesterday? I know that the hot sand couldn't have been fun for you."

I examined my feet, which were fine, "I'm good. Thanks for the concern."

He nodded, and we went to the Cafe to meet up with the team.

"Atlas, you're off duty. We're bringing Magnus for his type advantages over the enemies there."

He tried to argue, but I knew he saw the logic in it. I looked at Vulcan, "You know what… Let's hit up the dojo for a little while. Magnus and Mirage need to catch up."

We all agreed, and went into the different mazes. Vulcan, Magnus, Vincent and I tackled the normal/flying maze, and we figured out just how powerful Magnus was. Speaking of him, I should probably describe him a little bit more. He's a Tropius, an eight foot tall long-necked, four-legged pokemon with giant leaves for wings. He's a beast when it comes to physical force and speed. He flies through the air with such maneuverability that even Vincent is jealous. Magnus kept rubbing it in our faces, taking to the air and smacking down any pokemon dumb enough to face him.

He was always flying around, picking fights with every enemy in the maze, slamming into any flying pokemon and landing on them with his full body weight after they fell to the ground. While we were in there, he learned a ton of moves catching up to our level. He learned magical leaf, whirlwind, leaf tornado, natural gift and air slash. Also, some of his language isn't exactly formal. In fact, it was pretty foul. But there's always that one team member.

It does get a little bit hard to handle, but it wasn't anything we couldn't work with. And he followed directions well enough. Mostly.

After we set out for the Northern Desert, we made it to the Quicksand pits in no time, and Vulcan looked around, "See? There's nothing here. No way forward, no way up, and nothing around other than this… But what do you think, Connor?"

I looked down at the Quicksand, feeling a faint sense of familiarity, "How about a way down?"

Vulcan shook his head, "Um… What?"

"I just don't see any other way of progressing."

Vulcan shook his head, "Connor… That's... That's crazy!"

I shook my head, "I _know_ that I know this place. The only way forward is the quicksand!"

Vulcan shook his head, his tail burning a bright red, "I-I can't… This is different from the Waterfall! You didn't get a vision or anything, you're just going based off of a feeling! We really need to weigh our odds!"

Vincent sighed, "I'll see if he's-"

"FOR ARCEUS' SAKE!"

A sudden gust of wind pushed us all into the pit, and I caught a glimpse of Vulcan and Vincent being blown into the pit before my head went under the sand.

I closed my eyes and held my breath. For a little bit, I couldn't see anything, then I felt air beneath me. We all fell into a cavern, and Vincent stood up, "I did not like that… Blech!"

Vulcan coughed up some sand, his tail burning red, "Really, Magnus?"

Magnus grunted, "You were taking f***in' forever! The sun is nice and all, but it was getting hot! And I didn't come with you guys to sit around and talk like wusses! I want to fight!"

Looking at the roof, where sand was pouring from the ceiling, I sighed, "Well… We're underground. Fantastic."

Vulcan looked around, "You were right. Who would've thought that this cavern would be here…"

He lit a will-o-wisp that lit the underground cavern for us as we went forward. The only way that we could. Vincent used flash after a little bit, and Vulcan thanked him, fizzling out the orb of fire.

We quickly found that fighting through here, there were more rock types, and throwing skorupi into the mix added poison. Vincent used a paint sword and shield to slash most of them down, and we kept going on, any other opponents getting blown around by Magnus.

Before long, we found some items called iron thorns. We found out that Vincent could make a strange creation that he called a paint cannon out of paint. He put the spikes into the paint contraption, and when he squeezed the handle, the spikes shot out of it with enough force to pierce even a Lairon's hide.

He laughed, "I can shoot them out of a paint-cannon! That's so cool!"

He made a paint satchel, and any more spikes we found we gave to him.

It seemed like forever, but we finally made it to the halfway point of the Dungeon. We took a quick breather while Vulcan wrote down our adventures in the adventure log.

Vincent retracted his paint gun into his tail, chuckling, "That's awesome…"

Magnus sat on the floor and used roost to restore his energy while I ate an oran berry.

Vulcan spoke up, "Alright… Everybody, there's probably going to be a guardian at the end. So Magnus, no picking a fight with it unless it attacks first."

"Whatever."

"At least you heard me."

We set off into the next part of the cave. Vulcan learned Slash, and I learned whirlpool on our way. Vincent kept practicing with his paint gun, shooting them into enemies and turning it into a sword when they got close.

After a little while, the air began to get cooler, and we came to a massive cavern with a lake in it.

Magnus grunted as Vulcan crossed his arms, "Who would've thought that a lake this size would be under a desert? Wait… What's that?"

We all looked to where he was pointing: A blue-green glow was emanating from the water, "That's a Time Gear's glow!"

I nodded, "Let's get back and report to Chatot, then!"

Vulcan shook his head, "No, if we leave, Grovyle might come while we're gone. I think we should wait here."

We all agreed, and then the lake went dark, "Who are you?!"

Magnus perked up, "Smells like a fight..."

"We aren't here to fight, for Arceus' sake!"

"Why did you come here?!"

I spoke up, "We came to help you protect the Time Gear!"

I could tell that I said the wrong thing. The voice shouted, "Stay away from the Time Gear! If you won't leave it alone, then I will stop you!"

Magnus was already leaning forward, his leaf wings glowing, "I don't think she's gonna back down..."

"Shut up, Magnus!" I pushed him back with a headbutt, and he grunted once before cancelling his attack.

Then, a pokemon that looked like Uxie's sister turned visible, with a pink hairstyle like a Lucario's, "I'm Mesprit! Here at the Underground Lake, I protect a Time Gear!"

Vulcan spoke up, "That's why we're here! We want to help you protect it!"

"I won't allow you to disturb the Time Gear!"

I tried to say, 'wait', but Vincent readied his paint gun, Magnus leaned forward again, and Mesprit charged towards us. Vincent launched a small green orb right into Uxie's face, and she fell to the ground, shuddering. He retraced the paint gun and dropped his tail, "Stun spore in a capsule. She wasn't chilling out either way."

Magnus stomped the ground, "Damnit! Come on! I totally had her!"

Mesprit bristled, "You… Uxie told me about you with his telepathy… He told me that the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen!"

I tilted my head, "Uxie warned you…?"

Vulcan shouted, "Will you please listen?! The Time Gear _was _stolen, but not by us!"

She gritted her teeth, struggling to look up at us due to the paralysis, "Then who is responsible?!"

I was about to reply, but another voice behind us said, "That… Would probably be me."

We all turned around, and Grovyle was standing at the entrance to the lake. I shouted, "That's him! That's Grovyle! Everyone, protect Mesprit and stop Grovyle!"

Vincent nodded, "Let's do it!"

He shot a few iron thorns faster than we could blink, but the Grovyle deflected them all with leaf blades.

Vincent wavered, but made a paint sword and shield. The Grovyle chuckled, "Ooh, another blade user? This place is exciting…"

Vincent charged forward, and Grovyle simply sidestepped and parried all his strikes with hardly any effort. He knocked him aside, and used a paralyzing seed bomb on him.

"I must apologize… But I need that Time Gear."

Magnus roared, "Not today!" He flew forward faster than I had ever seen, but Grovyle sidestepped like it was nothing and used vine whips to grab ahold of Magnus' wings as he soared by and slam him into the ground.

He dashed forward without missing a beat, and Vulcan couldn't even get a flamethrower out before he had slammed us all into the wall. He walked past, and Mesprit crawled in front of him.

He paused briefly, then said, "Stand aside, Mesprit."

She cringed, but she said, "I-I will not! I won't let you take the Time Gear!"

"Then you leave me no choice…" He kicked her aside, and Vulcan charged forward, bursting into flames, "You're not getting that Time Gear, Grovyle!"

Grovyle sidestepped and used vine whips to keep him at bay. Vulcan launched a flamethrower, but Grovyle absorbed the flames and fired a pure beam of light into him in a counterattack.

He was slammed into the wall again, and Grovyle stepped to the edge of the lake, keeping his eyes forward, and sighed, "Forgive me… I have no quarrel with any of you. But I'm taking that Time Gear."

Magnus flew into the air and slammed into the ground in front of him, "You f***er… That really hurt, you know that, right?"

Grovyle stared up at him, "Out of my way."

Magnus readied four vine whips, glaring down at him, "Or what?"

Grovyle used low sweep and tripped Magnus up, then knocked him aside with two vine whips of his own.

He silently dove into the lake, not even replying. Vulcan peeled himself off of the wall, Vincent was still shuddering from the paralysis, and I was nearly passed out. Magnus stomped the ground again, "Son of a B****! We didn't even make a F***in' difference!"

Mesprit managed to float off of the ground, "Uxie must have been talking about him… Forgive me for not believing you…"

Vulcan looked too shocked to reply, "He… Absorbed my flames…"

Vincent shook his head, "He absorbed the light coming from your attack, snuffing out the flames before they reached him."

Then, a huge flash of light lit up the cave, and a rumbling started. We all got up, and Magnus picked up Vincent with Vine Whip as Mesprit shouted, "That thief stole the Time Gear! Soon, all time here will stop!"

We all booked it out of there before we became statues, "Hurry! Run with all your might!"

* * *

**_Some of you that have been around since the beginning are probably surprised at my use of explicit language in this fic. Well, Magnus is probably the only one that will ever talk like that at all, and only because I wanted a character that was like a brute, sort of, with a mouth to match, where I could be free with what I made him say. Anywho, hope you enjoyed, as always, leave a quick review or PM if you did, or if have any questions, comments, concerns, whatever, feel free to PM me! Much Love!_**

**_-PL_**


	19. It's All or Nothing

**-Chapter 19: It's All or Nothing-**

**-Connor's POV-**

We all managed to drag ourselves out of the underground cavern before the whole area was freeze-framed. We all trudged back to Treasure Town, and we contacted Officer Magnezone before we went to the Guild. When he met us there, we told him everything that happened, and he had two officers lead Mesprit away.

*ZZZT! Thank you for helping with our criminal investigation. We have Mesprit under our protection. Her safety is assured. ZZZT! We are dedicating all resources to the pursuit of Grovyle! If you come across any information related to this case, please let us know. ZZZT! We must cooperate to bring this criminal to justice! That is all. Please excuse us. ZZZT!*

When he left, Chatot turned to us, "M-My, my! I'm absolutely astonished! So there was a lake deep under the Northern Desert? And a Time Gear was down there?"

I nodded, "Yeah… But…"

Vulcan crossed his arms, and it didn't take a genius to see that he was absolutely furious. His tail was such a bright shade of blue, it was almost white, "We couldn't stop Grovyle from taking it. We didn't even slow him down. Even my flamethrower was used against me… We made no difference."

Bidoof piped up, "That's not true, by golly! You all did great work!"

"Hey, hey! I think so too! Team Firestorm should be proud!" Corphish added on, "But it's a shame, this whole thing… There's no clue telling us what to do next, right? Hey, hey! If only we had one tiny hint…"

Dugtrio nodded, all three heads speaking in unison, "I agree. Where will Grovyle strike next? There's no way of knowing."

Sunflora sighed, "Then it's back to square one…"

"Not necessarily."

We all turned to Dusknoir, "There are some clues. One Time Gear was located at Fogbound Lake, guarded by Uxie, correct? Then another at the Underground Lake, guarded by Mesprit."

Then Vulcan spoke up, "Actually, Mesprit said something about Uxie warning her with Telepathy! She already knew that the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen!"

Everybody threw in their own comments before Dusknoir regained our attention, "I should have known. There is a legend about Uxie and Mesprit. Uxie is said to be the embodiment of knowledge. And Mesprit is the being of emotion. But there is one more… Three total pokemon represent the spiritual world… and are said to keep the world in balance."

We all wondered who it could be, and Dusknoir went on after Vulcan asked who it was, "The last of the Trio is known as Azelf, the being of willpower. Uxie and Mesprit both guarded Time Gears… Therefore, Azelf may likewise be guarding a Time Gear."

Chimecho gasped, "Oh, I see! If we could locate Azelf… We may find a Time Gear with the pokemon. And we may have a chance at seeing that thief Grovyle appear!"

"That's correct. Those three pokemon, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf… All three are said to dwell at lakes. It's a fact that both Uxie and Mesprit were both encountered at lakes, so I am lead to presume that Azelf may very well be at a lake somewhere as well. But, let's keep this in mind: Uxie's lake was located on a high plateau, enshrouded in thick fog, and Mesprit's lake was hidden far beneath a desert. In both cases, the lakes were in unusual places. So the lake where Azelf lives… It will be where we least expect it to be."

Loudred nodded, "I get it NOW! You're saying we shouldn't look for water in the usual places!"

"My, my, my!" Chatot clapped his wings together, "I commend you on your wisdom, Dusknoir, sir! I feel renewed admiration for you!"

Dusknoir rubbed the back of his head, "Thank you, but truly… It's really nothing."

Dugtrio added on, "No, no! We, too, revere you! First it was you, Dusknoir, sir, who directed us to the Northern desert. It turned out that a Time Gear was far beneath it. So, Dusknoir, sir, your insight was entirely correct."

Sunflora perked up, "Oooh! So maybe the other places we searched… The Eastern Forest and Crystal Cave… Those places could still be hiding their secrets from us!"

Dusknoir clapped his hands, "Ah, I have an idea…" He turned to Bidoof, "Bidoof…"

"Yup yup! What can I do for you?"

"I have a request… That crystal that you picked up previously… May I borrow it briefly?"

Bidoof looked shocked, and shook his head, "My crystal?! N-no! No sirree! That's my precious treasure, by golly!"

Dusknoir nodded while waving his hand, "Of course. But rest assured we won't take it away. Or do anything of the sort. Now, Connor…"

I turned to him, "Yes?"

"There is something I would like you to do. Please touch Bidoof's crystal. If a secret remains hidden in crystal cave… If Connor touches the crystal… It may trigger the Dimensional Scream! It may trigger a vision!"

I nodded, "That… Makes sense, actually…"

Loudred raised an eyebrow, "Dimensional Scream? What's THAT?"

I turned to him, "It's a special ability I have. Sometimes, when I touch something or someone, I have a vision of the past or future involving that object."

Sunflora gasped, "Oh my gosh! Really?"

"Hey, hey, hey! There's really an ability like that?!"

Dusknoir turned back to Bidoof, "Now… I desperately wish to borrow the crystal because of Connor's extraordinary ability. Please, may we borrow it?"

Everyone turned to Bidoof, and he looked around, sweating a little, "Oof… Okay, I can't refuse a reason like that!"

He walked over and put the crystal on the ground in front of me. I put my foot on it, and closed my eyes… Suddenly, the symptoms set in… A flash of light followed, and I saw Grovyle attacking a strange blue pokemon on a crystal platform at the edge of a lake…

The Grovyle spoke, "Now… The Time Gear… I will be taking it."

The pokemon I presumed was Azelf reached his hand out, "I won't let… you… No…"

Then, everything came back to reality. I told everybody what I saw, and Loudred was the first to react. "WHAT?!"

Sunflora jumped up, "Oh my gosh! Your ability is thrilling!"

"How did you see all that, by golly? It's mighty hard to grasp!"

Chimecho rang her bell, and turned to us, "Connor… I have a question. Was that the past, or the future?"

That caught me off guard… I hadn't really thought about it… "Uhh… To be honest, it's not really made clear when the visions take place…"

Dugtrio humphed, "Well, then… Since it's impossible to tell if the vision is of the future or the past… Connor's vision may very well have been a past event. If that's the case… Then the Time Gear may have already been stolen from there."

Chatot freaked out, "Squawk!? You're saying we may already be too late?!" Everybody

freaked out for a moment before Dusknoir calmed everybody down, "Everyone, please hold on!"

We all turned to him, "Yes, it is true that it may have been a vision of the past. But it could have been a vision of the future. If you would be so kind, Vulcan, could you please tell us what Mesprit said at the lake about the time gears?"

He seemed surprised, then put his hand on his chin thoughtfully, "Um… She said that Uxie warned her of the Time Gear being stolen…"

Dusknoir nodded, "Yes… But there was no mention of Azelf?"

Vulcan shook his head, "The first I heard of that pokemon was from you just a minute ago."

Dusknoir nodded again, "Then there is still a chance! If Mesprit claimed that Azelf had alerted her about the stolen Time Gear… Then Connor's Dimensional Scream would surely be from the past… But that was not the case. Mesprit did not mention Azelf, so it is entirely possible that the event happens in the future!"

Chatot nodded, "I see…"

Dusknoir added on, "One more point. And this is a sure thing… Upon touching the crystal, Connor experienced the Dimensional Scream. The vision indicated the presence of a Time Gear, which means that maybe what we seek is in crystal cave! Perhaps there is a passage there that leads to a Time Gear!"

Everybody shifted, smiles of hope spreading across their faces, and Dusknoir continued, "However… We may already be too late. Or we may still have time! As long as the chance remains, we must never give up! It is our only option!"

Everybody cheered, even me. In spite of how much suspicion I've had towards him, he genuinely seemed ready to help… But I had to keep my guard up. I did recognize him. Whether or not he was an enemy, I don't know…

Chatot flapped his wings, "Dusknoir, sir! There's only one thing to do… And that's explore Crystal Cave! Let's go! the whole guild will be involved! Onward, to crystal cave!"

He turned to Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster! Please issue the call to duty!"

When Wigglytuff didn't move at all, Chatot tilted his head, "Guildmaster! Hmm…? Guildmaster?" He walked in front of the pink fluffball, "Guildmaster! Are you still with us?!"

I heard faint, light snoring, and I suppressed a laugh, while the other apprentices started whispering about him.

"H-hey! You gotta be kidding!"

"No! It looks like…!"

"He's fully asleep! With his eyes wide open too! Ewww!"

"Eep! The Guildmaster is so very charming…"

"When do you all suppose he took to snoozing?"

"You think he's been asleep from the get-go?"

Chatot turned to us, and seemed to panic a bit as he turned back to Wigglytuff, "Guildmaster! Guildmaster!"

"...Huh…?"

"GUILDMASTER!"

"Chatot!"

"YES, GUILDMASTER?"

Chatot pulled himself together, standing at Wigglytuff's side, "Er, I mean… Yes, Guildmaster…? Er, to take it from the top… There was-"

Wigglytuff ignored him, "Everyone, we're going after Grovyle! YOOM… TAH!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody rushed off to get ready, and Dusknoir mentioned that he would be coming with us.

We went to Treasure Town and picked up some seeds and items that we would need to be

prepared. Reviver seeds, stun seeds, totter seeds, whatever, since Vulcan quickly found out that orbs couldn't even be taken out of the bag when facing what Vincent called 'bosses'.

When we arrived at the tent, Magnus was all up in our faces, "You're going after Grovyle again, right?"

"Uh… Maybe…?"

"I'm coming with you."

"That's not your choice."

Magnus growled, "I was copped out of a fight with Mesprit because of Vincent's f***in' stun capsule thing. And I want another chance to beat the sh*t out of that Grovyle. He totally used cheap shots."

"Fine. But there are a lot of rock types, so you'll need to be careful."

Vulcan looked around, "I want Atlas, but you don't have a type advantage over Grovyle… You mind if Vincent comes with us?"

Atlas crossed his arms, "It's fine. I'll just train with Rose and Mirage."

I agreed and turned to Rose, "Speaking of that, how's the training coming along?"

She smiled, "It's coming along great! Mirage has learned a plethora of moves to use in combat! And she's gotten so much stronger!"

Mirage huffed, "She's right."

I smiled, "Good. Sorry you guys haven't had any missions or anything to do yet… Things have been out of control lately."

They all nodded, "It's fine. You guys stand the best chance anyways."

When we left, we decided to go check in with Team Core, to see if they had any tips on fighting a Grovyle.

When we checked their tent, we didn't see any signs of them. We asked the Kecleon brothers, and they both agreed that the team had mentioned a Pokemon mafia group before heading away.

I was tapped on the shoulder, and when I turned, Basileus was standing next to us, "So, I heard that you need some help catching a Grovyle?"

I nodded, "Yeah... Say, could you teach us how to fight him? You know, since you're a Grovyle and all that?"

He shrugged, "Why not? Come to the Dojo. We've got plenty of time there."

We nodded and followed him, and we went into the practice maze.

We lined up against him, and he looked at all of us, "How did he attack? Primarily with leaf blades, I'd presume?"

I nodded, "Yeah… And another thing… He absorbed Vulcan's flames as light and turned them into a solar beam… Can you do that?"

His eyes grew wide, "I didn't think he was that powerful… Able to channel his power to that extent…"

He shook off his thoughts and crouched into a fighting stance, "Well, hit me with all you've got!"

Vincent extended a paint sword and shield, charging forward, and Basileus met it with his own leaf blades, and kicked him back into us. He leapt forward, and Magnus met it with vine whips, grabbing him as he sliced past with leaf blades and slamming him into the ground. I used ancient power, sending the walls flying at him, but he crouched down, and closed his eyes as the boulders slammed into him. When the dust cleared, he was standing in front of all the rubble, not a scratch on him, and he charged forward again. He wasn't near as fast as Grovyle, but he was still fast enough to knock us aside just as easily.

He held a leaf blade to my head, and then turned to the rest of my team, "You're not very organized, are you?"

He helped me up, then turned to the rest of my team, "You just charged forward individually, relying on your own skillset. If I was able to beat you, then you don't stand a chance against that Grovyle. You need to work as a single body, working with each other, and not separately."

Magnus used air slash, but Basileus dodged and slammed him into the ground the same way the Grovyle did.

I nodded, "Point proven… How to we beat that Grovyle, then?"

Basileus sat down, "I need to teach you how actually to be a team, and not just four pokemon working together."

We all nodded, and he began training us… I'll admit, it took a long time, and we got beat down so many times I was ready to give up, but Basileus just grew an oran plant from the ground and fed us those to keep us going. After what felt like hours, he finally nodded after we managed to put him on the ground, "Well… You're finally a better team. Good luck."

He walked to the stairs, and we followed him out. Needless to say Magnus was pissed. "What?! Who the f**k is he to say that we don't work well together? And then just walk off like that?!"

Vincent looked at the towering pokemon, "He did have a point. You experienced how much he wrecked us."

I nodded, "Yeah… He backed up his claims really well. Now let's go get that Grovyle."

The team nodded, and we started walking to Crystal Cave.

* * *

_**Chapter 19 people! It's really starting to heat up! I've got some intense stuff in store! If you haven't read my other stories about Grovyle's past, then you might want to do so now, otherwise a lot of what happens from here on out won't make as much sense! As always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next update! Much Love! **_

_**-PL**_


	20. The Kingdom of the Crystal Lake

**-Chapter 20: The Kingdom of the Crystal Lake-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

When we finally got to the cave, we had devised a strategy for taking down Grovyle with the help of Basileus. I looked in the cave, and saw that the crystals glowed from the inside, lighting up the cave without the need for another light.

I turned to Connor, then Vincent and Magnus behind us, "Alright… We're here to find the Time Gear and stop Grovyle once and for all! There's probably a secret passage if our past searches are anything to go by, and it's probably at the deepest point in the cave! So let's go!"

We cheered, and we took off into the cave. I'll admit, Vincent really seemed to like being a Marowak. He used his bone club to wreck every pokemon in the cave, and alongside Magnus' magical leaf, none of the enemies stood a chance. Any time a pokemon would get past them, Magnus would bodyslam them into a wall, then proceed to crush them with his massive body again for good measure. Vincent would use bonemerang to get the drop on enemies before they even got close.

Connor looked at the walls, "I wonder why outlaws haven't looted this place yet…"

I ran my hand along the wall experimentally, and felt a stinging sensation as I drew it back. My hand was cut open pretty badly, blood oozing out, so Connor gave me an oran berry to heal it up. It closed itself after a moment, and I said, "That answer your question?"

Vincent tilted his head, "Razor sharp walls? How the heck did Bidoof get a crystal?"

I thought about it, then chuckled, "You know… I have no idea…"

We actually didn't get any recruit requests this time around, which was disappointing, but Connor just shrugged, "Oh, well. It's just not our luck is it?"

Vincent glanced around, transforming back into a Smeargle, "Um… Guys? I think this is the ending…"

When we all finished catching our breath, we looked around. There were three pillar-sized crystals in the center of the room jutting out of the floor, with a Kangaskhan rock nearby. One crystal was red, another was purple, and the last one was yellow.

I walked forward, "Uh… Yeah. I'm going to have to say that these crystals look suspicious. They stick out more than anything else in this cave."

I touched one, and it changed color in a flash of light, "Whoa! Yeah, definitely a secret passage puzzle."

Connor nodded, touching another crystal, which changed from purple to green, "I think so too… Back at the other lakes with Time Gears, the entrances were inconspicuous. The Groudon statue, the quicksand pits, and now this."

Vincent nodded, transforming into a Golurk, "Well, these crystals are the key to moving forward, right?"

He wrapped his arms around one, and began heaving with all his might. The crystal underneath him cracked from the weight, but the crystal pillar held fast. He transformed back into a Smeargle, and sighed, "Great… What now?"

Connor tapped another crystal, then fell over suddenly. I helped him back up, and he opened his eyes, "I saw… No, I heard some one… He said that Azelf is the spirit of willpower. A unifying force that drives us all. The voice said that the colors must match the color of Azelf's spirit…"

Magnus humphed, "That's F*ckin' useful. We don't even know the right colors!"

I ignored him, "What color was Azelf when you saw him in that other vision?"

"…He was blue."

I clapped my hands, "Let's start there! Everything in this cave has been blue so far, let's match the color scheme!"  
We tapped all the crystals until they were all blue, then they gleamed in unison. The cavern started shaking, "Wh-wh-whoa! Everybody b-back away!"

We ducked behind another crystal formation and watched as the ground bubbled up, making a giant crystal arch with a stairway leading into darkness.

Connor turned to me, "Fire-types light the way…"

I sighed, "_Fine._ But I'm so going to kick your butt later if I get hit with a boulder."

He smiled, "I am willing to take that risk."

We went down into the darkness, and I said, "Alright, guys, let's move it! Grovyle might be there already!"

We all booked it through the dungeon, Vincent transforming into a Druddigon and slashing down almost every pokemon in our way, with every second counting against us. Magnus found a TM for steel wing, and he learned it then tossed the used disc.

In almost no time at all, we made it to the end, and we came to a massive lake in a crystal cavern, surrounded by more crystals. I saw Grovyle up ahead with a pokemon I presumed was Azelf, and they were on an island attatched with a bridge of crystal.

I pointed, "Over there! We need to hurry!"

We all dashed across the bridge, and we saw Grovyle moving on. Azelf looked pretty bad, and Connor gasped, "This is what I saw in my vision! We need to stop him!"

We ran as fast as we could, and I shouted, "Hey!"

He turned his head momentarily, but humphed and continued walking. Before I could shout again, the entire cavern rumbled, and the entire lake began growing crystals out of the water like crazy, covering the entire surface with at least three feet of solid crystal.

We were still running, and Azelf muttered, "Grovyle… The Time Gear… You'll never get it now… Even in exchange for my life… You'll never…"

Grovyle looked… distressed as he shouted, "You! I mean to have it, and I will get it! I need the Time Gear, even if it means eliminating you, Azelf!"

I shouted as loud as I could, "STOP!"

We all ran in front of Azelf, and Grovyle sighed, "You again?"

I nodded, "You're not getting away with this Time Gear, Grovyle!"

He made a frustrated growl, "It's so complicated… I have no quarrel with you! Out of my way!"

"No."

He sighed, "You're kidding me, right…?"

I didn't move, and he crouched into a fighting stance, "If you won't stand aside… Then I'll have to take you down first… You leave me no choice! Just try and stop me!"

I glared at him, "We will stop you!"

He charged forward, readying a leaf blade, and I parried with a Dragon Claw while Vincent carried Azelf out of harm's way. Magnus leapt over me and used air slash, causing Grovyle to leap backwards to avoid the attack. He threw leaf blades at Magnus in counter attack, but he used steel wing and blocked them. Grovyle growled as Magnus charged forward again, wings glowing silver, but Grovyle leapt to the side at the last second and Magnus rammed full throttle into the wall. He fell to the floor, and Grovyle turned to us, "Last chance. Leave, now. Before you get hurt."

Vincent shook his head, now transformed into a Blaziken, "No thanks. Not taking that offer."

Grovyle nodded once and charged forward again. I used flamethrower, but he ducked down and slid underneath the column of flame and used grass knot to trip me up. Vincent used blaze kick, but Grovyle sprouted a wooden shield from his arm and took the attack head on. He threw the shield in Vincent's face, then followed up by slashing with leaf blades, but Magnus wrapped a vine whip around Grovyle's wrist mid-swing, "That's the third f***ing time you've dodged me. It gets annoying."

Grovyle ripped his arm free and used magical leaf on all of us while he backed away. Magnus roared, and flew forward again, this time readying air slash. Grovyle raised a wall of vines from the floor to block it, then leapt over them while using Bullet Seed. Magnus blocked the majority of them with his wings, but a few nicked his neck, and he grunted, "Ranged attacks, huh? Two can play that game!"

He used razor leaf, and Grovyle blocked it with his own leaf blades, then threw a seed bomb at Magnus. He swatted it out of the air, then charged forward. Grovyle backed away, but Vincent used blaze kick on his back. He flew forward, but caught himself and landed on his feet. He glared at all of us, and Connor used ancient power to pull the ground out from underneath him.

He growled as I used flamethrower, but he grew another wooden shield that absorbed the flames, then leapt forward again. I dodged and used fire punch, but he blocked it with the shield and bashed me with it, threw it at Magnus, who was coming up behind him, and he kicked me away. Connor followed up with an Ice ball attack but Grovyle stopped that with another kick, and Vincent used blaze kick again.

Grovyle dodged that by leaping back then used grass knot, and Vincent ate the crystal-covered floor. Magnus used air slash again from the side, which actually connected and left a pale gash across Grovyle's side.

He growled and threw more leaf blades, a couple of them sticking out of my skin, then looked at all of us again, not even out of breath. I tilted my head, "How…?"

He charged forward again, leaf blades ready, and I went to intercept with Dragon Claw after I ripped the leaves out of my arms. He feinted a swing from above and jabbed at my side, but I swung down, and his entire arm was sliced clean off from my attack. Vincent tackled him after turning into a Hitmonchan, then hit him again in the face while he was down. After I saw, I was speechless that I had actually done that to that pokemon.

He spit on the ground once as his severed arm bled, and smiled menacingly at Vincent, "That all you got?"

Vincent raised his fist again, shouting in anger, and Grovyle raised his legs and kicked him off, sending him flying halfway across the lake into the crystals. Manus flew off to get him, and Grovyle stood up, a vine growing from the nub that was left of his arm. It snaked towards his severed arm and latched onto it, dragged it back to his shoulder, and his skin regrew over it, making it as good as new!

He charged forward again, and it took all of my skill to avoid being slashed by his strikes. Connor used Ice beam, but Grovyle dodged that, then used vine whip to slam Connor into the wall. Magnus had retrieved Vincent, who was unconscious and bleeding pretty badly, and back in Smeargle form, and a Reviver seed floated from my bag towards him. Magnus flew forward again once the seed had begun its work and used vine whip to ensnare Grovyle. The vines latched themselves to the ground and brought him to his knees as they tightened around him. I used fire punch to nail him in the face once, "That's for Vincent…"

He growled and erupted his skin into hundreds of thorns, slicing the vines to ribbons and scattering seed bombs to knock us all back.

He smirked for a moment after he put some distance between us, and "Enough" was all I heard before he disappeared, like an illusion. Suddenly, I was kicked in the gut by a blur of motion, and Connor was sent flying into an opposing wall. Then I was sent spinning backwards, then slammed into the ground with vines. Vincent was still out for the count, and Magnus was up for maybe five seconds before a vine whip was tied around his neck like a lasso and he was dragged to the floor, then slashed with leaf blades. Connor was passed out as well, and I didn't even have time to register what had happened before I was slammed back into the ground.

I felt sick when I figured out what he was doing. _He was just messing with us… We never stood a chance… I thought Basileus' training would have had some effect, but his speed… It's insane, even for a Grovyle… I've never seen another pokemon move that fast._

Suddenly, he re-appeared, and began calmly walking towards Azelf. I managed to drag myself in between them, and he stopped a few feet away, "Get out of the way!" He ordered.

I found out that I couldn't talk, so I ignited my hands, glaring at him.

"You refuse… Then you leave me no choice!" He raised his arm and readied another leaf blade.

I was trembling, and knew that this was it… But I kept my glare and got ready to burn him on the way down.

"This is all for the Time Gear! Please, forgive me!"

_Forgive him?!_

He dashed forward, when suddenly, his shadow elongated, and a huge figure materialized from the shadow, "Stop!"

It was Dusknoir, and he had Grovyle's arm in his hand.

"Gah!" Grovyle erupted into thorns, breaking free from Dusknoir's grip, and Dusknoir said, "Are you alright, Vulcan?"

I nodded, and he smiled, "Good. Now please, allow me to handle this!"

He extended his shadow and slammed Grovyle into the wall with a shadowy fist, and Grovyle growled, holding his chest, "Y-you!?"

Dusknoir chuckled, "It's been too long, Grovyle… It wasn't easy finding you!"

I still couldn't talk, but my mind was racing. _Wait… Does Dusknoir know Grovyle?! How does that-_

"Gah! Even here… You chased me even here! You're tenacious, alright! You cling to me beyond expectation, brother!"

Dusknoir's smile faded, "...You will not escape this time!"

Grovyle sighed, "Dusknoir… I'm surprised to see you in this world…" He crouched into a fighting stance, "But I'm ready!"

Dusknoir crossed his arms, "So you'll fight. Then so be it."

Then, the shadows from the cavern all condensed around him as he roared, "But can you win? Against ME?"

They both dashed forward, and Grovyle rolled something from his hand. There was a flash of light, and Grovyle vanished. Dusknoir frantically looked around, "That blasted Grovyle! He never intended to fight me at all! There's no escaping ME!" He melted into shadows again before disappearing.

I heard slightly familiar voices, but then I felt faint and started passing out, collapsing to the ground, and I heard a faint, "Over here!" before I was out.

* * *

_**Alright, people! Chapter 20! Let me know how the fight scene went with a quick review or PM! The poll has three votes now, but I need ten! As always, hope you enjoyed, and I will see you in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	21. Plans and Discoveries

**-Chapter 21: Plans and Discoveries-**

**-Connor's POV-**

"Oh! You're awake!"

I rubbed my head against the floor, "Ooogh… What the heck happened…?"

Vulcan sat up, barely conscious, "Where…?"

Chimecho floated over, "You're in your room in the guild. You both, along with your team mates, were badly injured. You two have been out for almost an entire day…"

I glanced to the side, and I saw two more beds in our room, with Vincent and Magnus passed out on the bunks. Rose was coiled up next to Vincent, and she waved to me when I looked at her, but quickly refocused on him.

I raised an eyebrow, looking to Chimecho, "Are they alright?"

Chimecho nodded, "They are fine… Magnus has woken up a few times, but he had to be put back to sleep. For his own good. Vincent was impaled in several points along his center mass. He's lucky you had a reviver seed, otherwise he'd be dead… Rose has been worried sick."

I nodded, "Yeah… I remember getting the snot kicked out of all of us by Grovyle back at crystal- Oh! Azelf! Is he alright?!"

Chimecho nodded, "Compared to you four, his injuries weren't that severe. He's fine. He's actually in the guild now!"

I sighed with relief, "That's good…"

I heard a grunt of pain next to us, and Vincent opened his eyes, and turned to us, "Okay… That was different..."

Rose sighed with relief, and Vincent seemed to notice her for the first time, "Oh, hi, Rose!"

She smiled, "Hi, Vincent. I'm glad that you're alright…"

He rubbed his head, still laying down, "Yeah… I've been better, not gonna lie… Where's Atlas and Mirage?"

She said, "They're waiting in the Café. Chimecho gave me permission to stay with you guys. But she didn't want a crowded workspace, so yeah… Only me."

Vulcan smiled, then winced in pain, groping at his midsection, which was wrapped in bandages.

Chimecho fed him an oran berry, and I glanced back over to Rose, who was talking to Vincent about the crystal cave.

"Oh, it was so pretty… The walls were razor-sharp, though. Vulcan actually sliced his hand open on the wall!"

She gasped, but kept looking at him, and Chimecho lowered down next to me, "I never said that only she could cares for him- Let me rephrase that … She cares for all of you, but him…"

I raised an eyebrow, "What are you implying…?"

She smiled skittishly, "Nothing. I'm just saying that they would make a cute couple if given the right circumstances."

I raised an eyebrow at those two, and she gasped, "Oh, I should let the guild know that you're awake!" She swung back and forth, ringing, "Everyone! They're awake!"

Everyone from the guild charged into our room.

"R-really?! AWESOME!"

"Oh my gosh! That's wonderful news!"

"Oof! I'm mighty glad! If anything would've happened to you all… I'd… I'd… Oof…"

I smiled, "Alright, guys, we're fine, really! No need to get all emotional about this…"

Vulcan sat up, "Actually, I wanted to tell you guys something."

"Hey, hey…?"

Sunflora leaned forward, "And what would that be?"

Vulcan stood up, catching himself on the bed, "It's a little bit crowded in here… Let's move to the main room."

We moved to the room where we held morning briefings, and Azelf was there too. After Vulcan and I explained, -well, Vulcan explained; I was knocked out from the get-go- what he saw before he passed out, everyone was in shock.

Chatot blurted out, "Wh-what?! What did you say?! You're saying that the great Dusknoir and Grovyle… Knew each other before all of this?!"

Vulcan nodded, "That's how it sounded when they got ready to fight."

I nodded, "That makes sense… They both have the same marking on their right arms… I've noticed it for a while, but I never made the connection…"

Dugtrio said, "Well then… What became of Dusknoir?"

Vulcan shrugged, "I dunno… Grovyle escaped, so i'm guessing that Dusknoir went after him."

Then, a loud sound blasted through the guild, startling Vulcan and I.

Loudred shouted over the noise, "WHAT?! The EMERGENCY siren!"

"Hey, Diglett!" Dugtrio called down to his son, "What's the matter?"

Diglett's voice echoed up, "It's an alert from Magnemite! I'm told it's an emergency call sent out by officer Magnezone!"

He turned back to the hole, "Deputy Magnemite! Please shout your message down to the sentry post! Please speak clearly!"

Magnemite's monotonous voice echoed from the hole, *Zzzt! Can you hear me? Zzzt! This is an important announcement from Officer Magnezone! Zzzt! Everyone, please gather at the main square in Treasure Town! Zzzt! He will have a major announcement to make to everyone! Zzzt! All pokemon in the area have been called for the meeting, not just those from the guild! Zzzt! That is all! We hope for your cooperation! Zzzt!*

After the message was done, we all wondered out loud what the announcement could be. We all thought about it until Corphish said, "Hey, hey, hey! No point in wondering! Let's go get the answer, hey, hey! Let's get a move on to Treasure Town's main square!"

Everybody ran to the Town Square, including Vincent, Rose, Atlas, Mirage and Magnus, and we saw Magnezone and Dusknoir standing in front of everybody, waiting for us to show up. I heard a few comments from the townsfolk about how serious this must be if the guild members were involved. Azelf reunited with Mesprit and Uxie, and we after making sure he was alright, they asked about the Time Gear. Azelf assured them it was safe for now.

Dusknoir smiled, "Ah! Connor and Vulcan! I am so relieved to see that you are alright!"

I looked up, "Dusknoir! Good to see you too! Thanks for… Um… Saving us again… So what happened? Grovyle…?"

Dusknoir looked down, "I gave chase to the criminal, but he slipped away from me."

Vulcan interrupted, "Actually, back at the lake, you seemed to know Grovyle from before all of this. What's with that?"

*ZZZT! If I may interrupt. ZZZT! The great Dusknoir plans to explain what he knows. ZZZT! And that topic will be included! ZZZT! Now everyone, gather around, please! ZZZT!*

First, Magnezone explained that Dusknoir stopped a Time Gear from being stolen. Everybody cheered, and Dusknoir asked to take over the explaining.

We all listened to what Dusknoir had to say… I was eager to find out what happened, and he explained that Grovyle was an outlaw from the future. He was a corrupted and evil pokemon. For many years, he plotted, until he came to a plan. A plan to cause the planet's paralysis. It made it a barren world with no light, no wind, no warmth, no color… Truly the ruin of the world.

Dugtrio asked how he knew about it, and he sighed, "That is because I, too, am from the future…"

Everyone gasped, and he continued, "I studied everything about this time period, so I would be able to more effectively hunt down Grovyle."

Ursaring made a comment asking why he didn't say that from the beginning, and Dusknoir replied, "How many of you would have taken me seriously if I had said that my first day here?"

Ursaring nodded, and Dusknoir continued, "On top of that comment, if I had revealed my identity, then Grovyle might very well have been even more elusive from the start, and by the time we knew what had happened, he would have already been long gone."

_Yeah… But if they're both from the future, then… How do I know them? Was I from the future?_

In the end, everybody was even more supportive than before. Everyone was focused on capturing Grovyle. Azelf said that he was a target, since the last Time Gear was still in crystal lake. The other two, Uxie and Mesprit, said that they could use that to catch him.

The plan was to start a rumor that Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit were going to Crystal Lake to seal the Time Gear forever. By doing that, Grovyle would definitely try to stop them and steal the Time Gear.

Everyone offered to help, but Dusknoir said that he would have to catch Grovyle alone. He said that now that his presence has been revealed, Grovyle will be super cautious. And the large amount of pokemon would fail to lure him, without a doubt.

I felt a rush of wind behind me, and I turned, but there was nothing there. The grass rustled, and I sensed that somebody was invisible as they rushed back to Sharpedo Bluff.

I tapped Vulcan, and I pointed to the grass. He nodded, and Chatot broke our concentration, "That is the current situation! Until everything is resolved, we ask that you go about your regular duties. Yes, we would like you to spread the rumors as much as possible, but not so much that it would make Grovyle suspicious. Try to be natural! Go about your jobs as normal, and when possible, spread the rumor! That is what we'd like you to do for the next few days. That is all! All right, everyone! Let's have another good day of work!"

"HOORAY!"

Chatot turned to us, "You two, take jobs on the Bulletin Board and Outlaw Notice board. That will do!"

We nodded, and our team went to the Café. Vulcan and I decided to check out Sharpedo Bluff, and when we got there, the tracks vanished. Vulcan moved aside a fake bush, and we went down the stairs.

"-undoubtedly a trap…"

We went down, and the Galvantula that we rescued right before Fogbound Lake was talking to the Tyranitar. He saw us, and his eyes widened, "Hey! What's up?"

I raised an eyebrow, "What's a trap?"

He shrugged, "Different stuff going on. We got this crazy bounty hunter after us for some reason."

The Tyranitar stood up, "You two… You're the ones that helped stop Grovyle?"

I nodded, "Yeah… And our team. He was trying to steal the Time Gears. We had to stop him."

Galvantula glanced at the wall briefly, then continued, "Well… Yeah… Heh. Um… We need to figure out what we're going to do. You guys had stuff to do, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah… Let's go, Vulcan."

He nodded, and we left the bluff. When we got to Treasure Town, Vulcan sighed, "They're the ones we saw with Grovyle, right? When we rescued them from that team?"

I nodded, "Yeah… I know them from somewhere… And they seem to be friends with Grovyle, so either they were my enemies as a human, or Dusknoir is… Er, was."

Vulcan shrugged, "Oh, well. Grovyle wasn't there, and I don't feel like messing with them. We just need to wait until Dusknoir comes up with something."

I nodded, and we went to the Café to discuss missions and plans for the next few days.

"Alright, team. The mission to capture Grovyle is out of our hands now. We just have to go about our normal business, spreading the rumor you all heard out there. Which brings me to today's work. We're going to gather up missions to the Northern Desert. While we're waiting for that, we're hitting up the dojo."

Vincent and Magnus were still out for the count in training or missions, so I turned to Rose and Atlas, "You up for more training with Mirage?"

She nodded, "You want to work with her for a little while?"

We nodded, "Sure!"

Mirage walked up, "Hey, guys!"

So, we all hit up the Dojo, and we quickly found out how tactile Mirage was. She relied on traps and diversions, making sand pits to trap opponents, then pelt them with power gem or rock slide.

Along the way, we all got a little bit stronger, but no new moves.

We went to the Xatu appraisal, and he opened up several chests while Rose, Atlas and Mirage were training. We got a few cool items, and we traded them in at Croagunk's swap shop for a sweet item for Vulcan. Croagunk called it a Heat Armlet. It boosted Vulcan's HP, whatever that is. We found out that it basically made him capable of taking more damage than usual.

After we finished getting enough missions, which totaled to six, we chose the candidates for it.

We decided to go with Mirage and Rose after a brief discussion, saying that Atlas' attacks would be weak against the poison-types there, and since Vincent and Magnus were still out for the count.

They both nodded, and before we left, Rose went to check on Magnus and Vincent in their tent.

When she came back, we started the trek to the place. We made it there, and we went on the outlaw missions. We actually managed to bag a 'running away' outlaw with one of Mirage's sand pits, and we made short work of the rest of the missions. Outlaw capture was what we enjoyed the most, Vulcan, Rose, Mirage and I agreed. Item fetching? Search and rescue? Not really our style. This… Was what we were good at.

We recruited a Cacnea along the way, who said his name was Nocturne. He got a badge, and was transported away.

After that mission, we called it a day and collected our rewards. We got a pretty good haul, and we repeated this process for a few days, Rose training Nocturne and Mirage until Magnus and Vincent finally got out of the tent.

We managed to rise to gold rank in those next few days, and the whole team was excited for that. We celebrated with our whole team in Spinda Café, now that Vincent and Magnus were out of the healing room for good. We all had a blast, and Vulcan actually won big at the recycle shop with a golden ticket, causing a Ludicolo band to bust through the wall and start dancing to some upbeat music, which had us all laughing.

We had another apple juice drinking contest, and Vincent tried to cheat by turning into a Snorlax. We all laughed and joked around, and it ended up that Nocturne crushed us all in the end, with fourteen cups. He said that his species could hold their weight in liquid at one time in their bodies.

Connor was impressed, nodding his head in approval, while Magnus humphed, "F***in' cheater…"

We all had a heal seed shake to help us not feel sick in the morning from the chugging contest.

The next day, our excitement from the night before was crushed by an emergency siren ringing through the guild during today's briefing.

Diglett burrowed to his sentry post, and after listening for a moment, said, "Deputy magnemite's here!"

The voice came from the hole in the ground, *Zzzt! This is a message from Officer Magnezone! Zzzt! We are pleased to deliver this report! Zzzt! Grovyle has finally been captured! Zzzt!*

Everybody cheered, and he went on, *Zzzt! There is more. Zzzt! Grovyle was captured by the great Dusknoir. Zzzt! He has informed us that he will return to the future with Grovyle! Zzzt!*

Everybody was shocked and sad now. Even I was… Slightly. Whoever I was, they didn't seem to recognize me, and I was happy to be left alone for now until I figured my past out.

Loudred asked out loud, "How… Do you go BACK?"

*Zzzt! I do not claim to understand the process. Zzzt! But I have heard that they will be going through a tunnel of sorts. Zzzt! He called it the dimensional hole. Zzzt! He opened a dimensional hole in the town's main square, I am told! Zzzt! Dusknoir told us that he wishes to say goodbye before he leaves. Therefore, he hopes that you will come and see him for the last time at Treasure Town's main square. Zzzt!*

Corphish began walking, "Hey, hey! Well, what are we doing here?!"

I nodded, "Let's go!"

Everybody rushed out of the guild, and we found that our entire team and everybody from treasure town were already gathered in front of the dimensional hole. Vincent turned into a Golurk and let us sit on his shoulders to get a good view of the portal. It was black with glowing blue lines, making it look like a tunnel.

Magnezone had to stop Bidoof from touching it out of curiosity, saying that it would suck him into the future. I saw Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf, and Vulcan called out to them. They floated over to us, and I smiled, "I'm so glad to see that you're all ok!"

"Naturally!" Mesprit said.

Vincent spoke, his voice making a gravelly effect, "So the plan went well?"

Azelf nodded, "Yup! I have to hand it to the great Dusknoir. It was flawless. He captured Grovyle, and gave us back all the Time Gears he had stolen."

Vulcan and I both smiled, "Awesome!"

Uxie glanced behind him, "I can sense them… They will be along shortly."

One of the pokemon in the crowd shouted, "Oh?! Who's that?!"

We all glanced over to the commotion, and Loudred shouted, "It's the great Dusknoir! Everyone, MAKE WAY!"

The crowd split to make a path from the side to the dimensional hole. Six Sableye were holding ropes on Grovyle's arms and legs, and he was all tied up with rough-looking ropes and gagged with another. He looked worse for wear, with a black eye and such, and Dusknoir was floating along behind him.

Everybody whispered their own comments, and Vincent said just loud enough for us to hear, "Grovyle looks scary… Like, even tied up, he looks ready to take on the world."

I nodded, and seeing him like that made me kind of sad. Nobody deserved to be gagged like that, or tied up in such a way, no matter how wicked they were.

Dusknoir turned to the crowd, "Everyone! Today, I would like to share excellent news with you. Finally… Grovyle has been captured!"

Everybody cheered, and he continued, "This was all made possible by your selfless support and cooperation! I can't thank you enough!"

More cheering, and Dusknoir gestured to Grovyle, "As you can see, Grovyle is a wicked and vicious pokemon! His capture should result in lasting peace for your world."

Grovyle's skin erupted into massive thorns in an attempt to break the ropes, but a Sableye yanked on the rope, which held fast, and he fell to his knees as he tried to get the gag off, "Mmmmmf! Mmmmmmmf!"

I sort of cringed at the pain, and Dusknoir continued, ignoring him, "But… I must deliver a sad piece of news. It is time for me to return to the future. Everyone! I must bid you farewell."

I could feel the sadness washing over the crowd.

"Uxie… Mesprit… Azelf… I entrust you with the rest."

The three assured him that the Time Gears would be put back in their rightful places.

"Now… I'm afraid that the time has come." The Sableye punted Grovyle into the hole, and then followed into it."Everyone! Though it pains me…"

Everyone around me was reduced to tears, and Dusknoir turned to go into the portal, but stopped. "Oh, yes." He turned back around, "Before I leave, I must see two pokemon… Connor and Vulcan!"

Vincent set us down, and we walked forward towards him. I looked up, and felt tears coming into my eyes, "So… This is it, huh? Thanks for all your help, Dusknoir."

He seemed sad, "Well… this is… goodbye… or is it?"

"Huh?"

He reared back, his stomach mouth opening, "It is too soon for farewells!" He grabbed both of us in his hands, Vulcan yelped and tried to superheat his skin, but Dusknoir tightened his grip without even wincing, "You two… Are coming with me!"

He pulled us back and we were all dragged into the portal. The last thing I saw was Vincent as a Golurk, leaping forward, shouting after us.

* * *

**Alright, here's where a lot of my previous stories start to tie in! If you haven't read my two stories about Grovyle, give it a go, otherwise you might be a little bit confused as to what's going on sometimes. Just a disclaimer. Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed or have any questions, comments, or concerns. The poll as of right now has three votes out of ten! I need you all to get those votes up before I can work on another story! Much Love!**

**-PL**


	22. In the Future of Darkness

**-Chapter 22: In the Future of Darkness-**

**-Connor's POV-**

_Uggh… What the-? Where is this…? Was I… dragged? I can't… Losing consciousness…_

"Hey, Connor, get up! You've survived with a hole in your chest for a couple days, but you die from this? I don't think so. Now wake up!"

I tried to speak, but I couldn't, and suddenly, I felt a really hot sensation on my back. I rolled up, and I tried to use ancient power on the threat, but the cave we were in wouldn't budge, as if the entire foundation was reinforced with some sort of psychic incantation. I glanced around, and Vulcan smiled, "Good to see you're not dead."

I looked around, "Vulcan! Where are we?"

He pointed to the bars in front of us, "From what I've observed, it's a jail cell."

I turned back to him, "A jail?! Wha… But-but why?!"

He shrugged, and pointed to the entrance, "Your guess is as good as mine. Those are reinforced draconian iron bars. I already tried melting them, shaking them, nothing. We're not getting out of here unless we're let out."

I glanced around, "Yeah… But where are we…"

Vulcan sighed, "I think that we were dragged into the portal? I'm not sure… But I think this is the future that Dusknoir went back to. We have to just stay put for now, unfortunately."

I shook my head, "No! I won't just-!"

Suddenly, I sensed movement from around the corner, making me freeze.

Vulcan turned around, his tail burning green, and he looked at six little purple gremlins that opened up the gate, "Oh, they're awake. How convenient."

The one in the front turned back to the others, "We'll make this quick."

They dashed forward, two of them tackling Vulcan and I while another two blindfolded us. Vulcan burst into flames after a moment, and the Sableye hissed from the flash of light, but knocked him down to the floor from what I heard. "Do not do that again, worm!"

They pushed us around, moving us forward, and we walked for a while before I felt myself being tied to something.

"We're here." Then the blindfold was taken off, and I had to squint from the harsh lights focused on us. When I looked to my left, Vulcan was scratched across the chest, and tied up just like I was. Neither of us could move.

"Vulcan! Are you alright?!"

Another familiar voice scoffed from our left, "Hmph! You're clueless about what is about to happen, aren't you? ...I guess you can afford to be nonchalant about it." I turned my head, straining to see past Vulcan, and sure enough, the wood gecko was tied up alongside us.

We both shouted, "Grovyle?!"

He smirked, "You two… Do you have any idea about where you are?"

We both shook our heads, and he sighed, still keeping his slight smile, "You're at the stockades. This is where Dusknoir sends others that don't follow his orders to be executed."

I strained against the ropes, "Executed?! Why are we here?! I understand why you'd be, but why are we?"

His smile faded, "I couldn't care less. You must have done something that they couldn't tolerate."

"But we're not like you! We haven't done anything wrong!"

"...I don't care. You're wasting your time being mad at me. Meanwhile… Look, there they are."

Six sableye lined up in front of the doorway, and Grovyle muttered, "Those are only a few… Those six are Dusknoir's specialized underlings, specifically trained to capture me. They happen to also be the ones that do the dirty work for Dusknoir. They're like the jailers of the place."

I turned, and my voice rose in surprise, "What? The great Dusknoir's?!"

Grovyle laughed to himself, "You two… He had your whole world fooled, huh?"

Dusknoir entered through the doors, and the Sableye turned to him, and one of them knelt down, "Master Dusknoir… The three have been tied to the stakes."

Dusknoir's stomach-mouth smiled, "Good… Very well, Sableye. Those three… We need to be rid of them."

Vulcan shouted, "No, wait! I don't understand! Dusknoir, sir! It's me, Vulcan!"

Dusknoir ignored him, "Pay them no heed. You may get ready." All of the Sableye jumped up and laughed maniacally, swiping at the air with their claws as they lined up in front of us.

Grovyle whispered to us, "You two… If you want to escape… Give me your full cooperation."

Vulcan and I shook our heads, and Vulcan almost didn't whisper, "No way we're helping you!"

Grovyle growled as the Sableye kept closing in, "I have survived too much to die like this! You two, brace yourselves!"

He erupted into thorns, giant wooden spikes as long as Vulcan's arms, slicing the ropes to small pieces. He tossed down an orb after scattering the Sableye with seed bombs, and a blinding light enveloped all of us. I closed my eyes, and suddenly I was thrown to the ground. I heard Vulcan next to me, then the light faded.

When I opened my eyes, we were all in a small chamber underneath the stone, lit by Vulcan's tail which was bright red. Grovyle shushed all of us by covering our mouths, and glanced to the roof, which was solid stone. We heard Dusknoir's muffled shout, "Gah! Find them! They cannot be allowed to escape!"

After what felt like forever, Grovyle finally let off of our mouths, "There. I think we're safe for the moment. But you two be quiet until I say so."

He extended a leaf blade, and carved a section of the stone out. He stuck his head out of the hole, and then leapt out, "Come on, then! We got out of that predicament, but we're not safe yet. We need to move before the Golurk find us."

I leapt out of the hole, and I glanced to Vulcan, "Let's follow him… He seems like he knows what he's doing."

Vulcan looked like he'd rather die, but I shook my head, "Only until we get out of here."

He nodded, and we took off after the wood lizard pokemon.

When he turned the corner, he really began picking up speed. I had to run with all my might, and Vulcan had to go fireball form to go fast enough to keep up. He glanced back at us, hardly winded, and he pushed us further, "Come on, this way! We need to keep running until we find the exit! Run faster!"

I huffed, "Easy for you to say… You're a Grovyle!"

Vulcan turned back into a physical pokemon, "Um… If this is the future, then can we get back to our world? The past?"

Grovyle shrugged as he ran faster, making us unable to stop to talk, "I don't know. We just need to get out of here… If we get caught by the Sableye, or the Golurk, especially… Then we're done. Returning home will be the least of your worries. Now run faster!"

I glanced ahead, and Grovyle smiled, "We're almost there! The exit!"

He pushed open the massive metal doors and went outside. I collapsed to the ground and Vulcan placed his hands on his knees, "Finally… We stopped… Gah…"

Vulcan tried to talk to me, but what I saw made me involuntarily block him out… I saw a dark grey, motionless landscape with long and deep scars gashing through the entire land, like somebody used earthquake, except it was, like, a son of Arceus or something. The entire world looked totaled for as far as I could see. The trees were dead, and on boulders that floated a hundred feet in the air, just stuck there. And the worst part? My head fin didn't pick up a single breeze to sense anything…

I shook my head, and Vulcan walked up to me, "What happened here? This is our world…? But… Everything looks frozen!"

Grovyle scowled, looking at his map, "Exactly."

We heard the high-pitched laugh of the Sableye, followed by an earth-shaking roar, and Grovyle sighed as he took off again, folding up his map into his wonder bag that just suddenly _appeared_ on his shoulder. "They found us. We need to move!"

He darted off, and we had no choice but to follow him. After what felt like twenty minutes of sprinting to keep up with him, I huffed, "Grovyle! I need to rest…"

"There's no time to rest! If they catch us, it's over! You might as well kiss your sunlit world goodbye!"

We kept sprinting, and we turned a corner, Grovyle growing a wooden dome around us that retextured itself to look like stone, "This should hide us for now…" He turned to me, "Your friend's tail is like a beacon. It's going to get us killed."

Vulcan clutched onto it, "Well, _excuse_ me for being dragged into something I wasn't a part of!"

He raised an eyebrow, "You're excused. Now, seriously, what did you two do?"

Vulcan gritted his teeth, "We didn't do anything wrong! We tried to stop you, and I thought that would help, but I guess not! Now I'm working with a criminal, and I have a bunch of Sableye and Golurk after me!"

Grovyle sat down, as calm as ever, "And…? How is that my problem?"

Vulcan's hands were set ablaze as he glared at the wood gecko, "What is your problem?! You're a criminal! We stopped you, and now, suddenly, we're in the same boat as you! I'm kind of upset right now!"

Grovyle waved his hand while closing his fist, and Vulcan's arms were pinned to the wall with vines that grew from the stone ground, snuffing out the flames, "Do not test me. What you saw in the past? What you saw wasn't even a fraction of my true strength."

Something about what he just said made me that much more nervous… I felt like he seriously could back it up if it came down to it. He was just toying with us earlier, that much I knew.

He unclenched his fist, and the vines withered to dust, "Now, we need to keep moving if we want to-"

Vulcan shook his head, "Whoa whoa whoa, we? We only cooperated because we had no other choice! We never said that we'd go with you afterwards! I'm not working with a bad pokemon like you-"

Grovyle crossed his arms, "Hmph! So I'm the bad guy, huh? And I suppose that Dusknoir's the good guy? Then how about explaining his actions earlier? It wasn't just me… They wanted you gone, too!"

I nodded, "He's got a point, Vulcan…"

Vulcan crossed his arms, "That doesn't mean that I should suddenly just trust him!"

Grovyle took down the dome, and began walking, "I thought that having allies to help me reach the Insurgo would help, but… There's no point continuing together without trust. We'll go our separate ways. I'm staying on the move. You two should get moving as soon as possible." He glanced back at us, "Good luck." Before walking away.

I thought about it, then blurted out, "Wait."

Grovyle turned, "Hm?"

Vulcan placed a hand on my shoulder, "What are you doing?"

I looked him in the eyes, "Vulcan… Hear me out. I know that we're both super confused about what just happened, having the sudden identity switch with Dusknoir from good to bad and all that, but we need to focus! As of now, we _will _die if we get caught. And from the looks of it, Grovyle already has an idea of where he's going. Now, I'm not saying it has to be permanent, but if we want any chance at seeing any of the guild, or our team again, we need to consider-"

"He's a criminal! We can't work with a thief like him!"

Grovyle scoffed, "So… That's what Dusknoir labeled me as? Can't really say I'm surprised. My partner warned me that that's what would happen…"

I turned to him, an eyebrow raised, "Partner? You mean you weren't there alone?"

He crossed his arms, "What, you think I'd do this whole thing myself? That's beside the point. Are we teaming up for now, or not?"

Vulcan crossed his arms in reply, "I… I just can't trust you!"

Grovyle nodded, "Alright. That's what I needed to know. As I just said, there's no point continuing together without trust. Good luck."

I tried to stop him as he turned and sprinted away, but he was already gone by the time I said anything.

I turned to Vulcan, "We need him, Vulcan… We have to go after him!"

Vulcan crossed his arms, "Well-"

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

Vulcan glanced behind us, and a Sableye poked its head around the corner. "Wheh-heh! Over here!"

I turned to Vulcan, and we both nodded, "Run."

* * *

**_Chapter 22... I'll tell you again, if you haven't read my other stories, then you won't be able to fully appreciate the rest of the story involving Grovyle. Just a disclaimer. Anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a quick review or PM if you did, it really helps with keeping me motivated to write more stories! I will see you all in the next update! Much Love!_**

**_-PL_**


	23. Shadows in Darkness

**-Chapter 23: Shadows in Darkness-**

**-Grovyle's POV-**

_Those two… Vulcan and the Mudkip… I never got his name… They're going to die here._

I chided myself, "No! You promised everyone that you would finish your mission, no matter the cost! Sacrifices were guaranteed to be a part of it!"

I glanced behind me, towards the cave I had just exited, and pulled out my wonder map, "Now… Where am I? That whole location was new… Not Temporal Tower…"

I found my location, then pointed to the mountain on the far side of the world, "Oh. No wonder I didn't know about it. It's so far..."

I kept walking, but those two… They kept coming into my mind. _You can't just leave them to die…_

I kept telling myself everything I could, but the thought kept resurfacing, and I shouldered my bag, "I'm going to regret this…"

I took off back into the cave, back after those two imbeciles that didn't even trust me.

The pokemon of this world avoided me, and for good reason… I radiated power. Any pokemon that valued their lives knew about me.

I came to a clearing eventually, and I pulled out my map again, unfamiliar with my surroundings, "What the-? Where is this? Did I hit another exit?"

Suddenly, it got even darker, and a voice boomed, "YOU! STOP!"

I glanced around, expecting another one of Dusknoir's underlings to have found me, "Who's there?!"

"YOU invade this place without warning! Then you DISTURB our slumber! Then, without APOLOGY, try to leave?!"

I looked around warily, unable to detect this new threat, "Who is there?! Show yourself!"

"You DARE to anger us! We expect you to PAY for these insults!"

I growled, "Where are you?! Quit hiding and reveal yourself!"

The voice chuckled, "You accuse US of hiding? We do NOT hide… We… We are HERE! We are SPIRITOMB! There is NO MERCY for those that transgress against us!"  
I turned around, now looking for the odd keystone that I knew Spiritomb was bound to, but I was too slow. It shot towards me, snaked its smoky form down my throat, and my vision went red, fading in and out.

**-Connor's POV-**

Vulcan and I had some serious trouble in these dungeons… There were bottomless pits everywhere, so it added another level of danger while fighting. The pokemon weren't really an issue themselves, but with those bottomless pits, I couldn't use ancient power, rock tomb, or ice ball. Vulcan couldn't hit any flying opponents without using flamethrower or flame burst.

We came to another cliffside with a waterfall that was completely stopped.

"Connor, look at that!"

Vulcan put his hand through the stream, and he shook his head, "Wow… Time… Really is frozen."

I stared at the waterfall, and Vulcan exclaimed, "Connor, use your dimensional scream! It may give us a clue as to where we are!"

I shrugged, "Worth a shot."

I placed my paw on the still water, and I waited. And waited. And waited. After a long while, I grunted, "Nothing."

Vulcan sighed, his shoulders drooping, "Crud. I was kind of hoping that we'd get a clue, at least."

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

We continued running, and we came to another dungeon. We went through that, and there were some annoying pokemon. Notably shedinja. They kept hiding in the walls and using shadow ball. Of course, I countered by moving the wall with Ancient power, but they were still annoying. We finally came to the end of the dungeon after using two reviver seeds and several oran berries.

Vulcan pointed with distress to a collapsed figure on the ground, "Grovyle!"

We darted over to him, and he was glowing purple, groaning in pain, "You two… Prepare yourselves! There is an enemy nearby!"

I glanced around, "Where?!"

I saw a small brown stone on the ground that seemed to be smoking, and I looked at it closely, "No way… This?"

The stone rattled, and a wispy purple pokemon with green, psychotic eyes popped out and cackled, "You DARE transpire against us?!"

I shook my head, "No, I-!"

Vulcan pushed me out of the way as the pokemon charged forward, and it snaked down his throat, making him collapse to the ground, gasping for air.

Vulcan's eyes glowed green, and he stood up, and in a voice that wasn't his, but an echo over his, chuckled, "Heh, heh, heh… You can't fight your partner, can you…?"

I was thinking up a storm… _What do I know about spiritomb…? He's a pokemon bound to-Whoa!_

Vulcan-Spiritomb began fighting mercilessly. He used fire punches and flamethrowers and other attacks. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him…

He slammed me into the wall, and walked over to me slowly, his hands ablaze, "Let's see how long it takes for you to burn…"

He raised his hands, but then hunched over. He wailed as Vulcan's voice came back, and he stuttered brokenly, "Y-You won't hurt… M-my friend…"

The Spiritomb was sucked back into its odd keystone, and I used ancient power to shatter the stone. Vulcan gasped, "Good riddance… That was horrible…"

Grovyle stood up, "Now I have another thing that I can say I've done…"

He glanced to us, and crossed his arms, "Thanks… for that."

I nodded, "No problem."

Vulcan tensed up, "I thought you would have been further ahead by now, given how fast you were bookin' it when we last saw you."

Grovyle humphed, "I came back for you two, in spite of my judgement telling me otherwise. I couldn't just leave you to die."

I nodded again, "Thanks. What was that, anyways?"

"That was Spiritomb. A ghostly pokemon that would usually mind its own business. But Delirus drove it mad."  
"Delirus?"  
Grovyle nodded, "Yeah. It's the voice in your head that causes self-doubt and indecisiveness. That's why the pokemon of this world are so hostile. Normally, Spiritomb would have just minded its business and not bothered us, but it lashed at us out of fear of being attacked."

Vulcan glanced around, "Why is everything so bad here?"

Grovyle's eyes teared up, "Because I failed on my mission."

He blinked them away, then beckoned us forward, "Now, follow me if you want to ever see your world again."

Vulcan held up his hand, "Hold on…"

Grovyle turned around, clearly irritated, "What?"

Vulcan crossed his arms, "I want answers before we go anywhere with you. And besides, it's dark out. Can't we wait until morning to start moving again? Sableye hate the light, so we can put some distance between us and them while they have to hide out in caves."

Grovyle sighed, "If only it were that easy. Morning doesn't come around here. Ever."

Vulcan stepped back slightly, "What do you mean, _ever_?"

"I mean what I said… The planet is paralyzed. Dusknoir told you all about this, correct? Before his minions punted me back to this Arceus-forsaken world?"

I shook my head, "Okay… So, the planet is paralyzed? Dusknoir said-"

Grovyle snapped, "What did he say?! That I was a criminal? That I was the one trying to cause the planet's paralysis?!"

I nodded, "Yes! He said that you were going to cause the planet's paralysis by stealing the Time Gears! That's why you were stealing them, right?"

He leaned back in exasperation, "You're kidding! Did Team Core not tell your world _anything?!_"

Vulcan interrupted again, "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Team Core? Quint, Seth, Maris, Lucerna? That Team Core?"

Grovyle nodded, "Of course! Who did you think I was- Never mind! I'll explain when we're safe!"

He moved his arm, and we both stood up in spite of Vulcan's protests, taking off after him as he delved back into the dungeon.

We ran for a long while, even further than last time, and Grovyle closed his eyes while we stopped to take a breather, mumbling something in another language that I faintly recognized...

He opened his eyes, and he turned the corner one last time, and we followed him up a cliff, into a grass-covered cave with glowing plants on the wall, "We're safe for now. This place should provide a place for us to talk in peace."

I glanced around at all of the wooden and plant-based furniture, the stacks of scrolls strone along the ground, out of place from their positions on the shelves lining the walls… The plants that glowed on the wall radiated a warm light and heat, drawing me closer, but not getting too hot to stand close to. The heat was nice, and I hadn't noticed, but my skin had begun to frost over from the cold of this world.

Vulcan looked around at the sparkling, moss-covered roof, giving the cave an illusion of being open to a starry sky, "What is this place?"

Grovyle smiled, although there was some form of pain in his eyes as he glanced around the chamber, "All pokemon are born somewhere, right? This is-er, was- my home. I haven't been here in Arceus-knows how long..."

I looked around further, engrossed with this place, although when I looked more closely, the scrolls looked strone across the floor, torn up and trampled on, and the furniture looked like it had seen some better days as well.

"What do you mean, 'was'? Why don't you just live here?"

He sighed, "This place… It was broken into by Dialga's followers, back when I was a Treecko…"

Vulcan nodded, but crossed his arms, "We heard that you were trying to cause the planet's paralysis. We stopped you, yet here we are. In a dark world just as Dusknoir described. Something doesn't add up."

Grovyle sat down on a tree stump in the cave, which seemed out of place, but he grunted, "Well, you stopped me. Congrats. But in this future, time is still at a standstill. The planet is still paralyzed, even though Dusknoir said I caused it, and you stopped me from succeeding. You say something doesn't add up. I'm agreeing with you. All that's left is to decide who to believe. The guy that tried to kill you, and whose story doesn't make sense, or the one that saved you?"

Vulcan was at a loss for words, but what he said made too much sense...

He studied us intensely, "Now, what could you two possibly have done to make Dusknoir bring you here? You aren't part of the Insurgo... Are you?"

I tilted my head, "The what?"

Grovyle nodded, "Alright. Just checking."

I was so confused… What was the insurgo? And was Grovyle a part of it?

Vulcan voiced his confusion, "What's the... insurgo?"

Grovyle shrugged, "I guess I could show you. No harm in that. But you two want answers before we leave, correct?"

Vulcan nodded, "Yeah."

Grovyle nodded, "Then answers you will get. We need to trust each other if we are to continue travelling together." He took a deep breath, "What do you want to know?"

Vulcan went first, "So, what's the deal with the planet's paralysis? I thought stopping you was supposed to fix it or something."

Grovyle's eyes lit with anger, but he maintained his composure, "The cause of the planet's paralysis… Dates back to your time. The planet's paralysis started with the collapse of Temporal Tower, which was governed by one of the first sons of Arceus, Dialga."

I nodded, recalling something about this story, "Temporal Tower controlled time everywhere… When it collapsed, time began slowing in an ever-widening area, and as Time went out of control, Dialga lost control of his mind…"

Grovyle seemed surprised, but he nodded, "I figured as much. You two were in training at the guild, correct?"

"Yeah… But what does that have to do with-"

"You have read the story of this world, and passed it off as a myth, correct?"

I shook my head, "No… I haven't read about this world…"

Grovyle placed a hand on his chin in thought, "Then how do you-? Never mind. As you were saying, after Temporal Tower went, Dialga's mind followed, and now your entire world is paralyzed fully. And now, due to this world of darkness, Dialga is governed by the dark. He is now beyond recognition, transformed into an entirely different entity… He has been transformed into Primal Dialga, a primordial presence. Primal Dialga feels no emotion. He seeks any means of self-preservation, bending others to his will to prevent history from altering this time line."

Vulcan sat down, "Geez, that sounds scary…"

Grovyle took a deep breath, "That's why Dusknoir had us tied to those stakes. Dialga wanted me gone because I tried to change history. Because I tried to stop the planet's paralysis. Because I travelled back to your world from this place… Your future."

"Wait a minute…" Vulcan's tail burnt a shade of green similar to Grovyle's skin, "You were trying to stop the planet's paralysis?!" He stood up from the floor, "We were told just the opposite! Dusknoir said that you travelled to our time to paralyze the planet… That's why you stole the Time Gears, wasn't it?!"

Grovyle stood up, his anger now external, and his face was visibly shocked, "You've got to be joking! I was collecting the Time Gears because they were needed for preventing the planet's paralysis! I needed to take them to Temporal Tower and put them in place. That would have reversed its collapse, which was fully under way in your time. While it may be true that removing a Time Gear from a specific place causes time to stop in that area, that's only temporary. After the Time Gears are put into the altar at the top of Temporal Tower, time would have been restored to normal everywhere."

Vulcan tilted his head, "But… Dusknoir said-"

Grovyle's shout made me want to curl up and hide, "I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAID!" As he shouted, the plants on the wall responded, snaking towards Vulcan as if to ensnare him, but he quickly regained his composure, "He had your whole world fooled into thinking I was the bad guy… And that he was the saviour of the future… But he's not. Everything he told you, aside from that he did know me, was a lie. A blatant, bold-faced lie."

I nodded, "That explains why he suddenly wanted us all gone… But why me and Vulcan? We were helping to capture you!"

Grovyle shrugged, "I couldn't care less, honestly. I don't even know why I'm helping you." He put his scowl back on, "All that matters is that I find my way back to the past, preferably alive."

Vulcan cut in, "Earlier, when you left… You said that you had a partner that traveled back to the past with you, right?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. He..." He quickly shook his head, as if to disperse the thought, "Never mind. We should get moving. We need to get to Dragon Mountain as soon as possible."

We both nodded, and we set off from Grovyle's home, to Dragon Mountain. Along the way, we stopped by a strange town full of Vendors and merchants. There was a Mega Sableye that Grovyle apparently knew, selling 'mega stones', whatever those are. He said it enabled 'non-Alphas' to 'mega evolve'. Vulcan and I each wanted to get one, but they were 18,000 poké a piece. Way above our pay grade, so Grovyle just pulled out a huge block of gold from his wonder bag like it was no big deal to pay for it, and we continued on our way.

We were sprinting through the mountain passes, and we took another break behind an alcove that shielded us from view to any climbing the mountain. We sat down, and Vulcan let out a deep breath, "So, how did you get to the past the first time?"

Grovyle replied, "It's a pokemon named Celebi…" He said that name with care, as if that pokemon might be here, or something, "She is the legendary time travelling pokemon that helped me get to the past last time. I just hope that she is safe... Primal Dialga is definitely aware of her breaking his laws of reshaping history."

After a quick breather, we were on our way again. Grovyle lead us up the mountains, and I used ancient power to ride boulders alongside him, with Vulcan, as he leapt up side of the mountains. We came to a barren wall, and he stopped, "We're here…"

I looked at the wall, feeling the same strange sensation that I did at fogbound lake and the quicksand pits…

_Why do I feel the same way here? I'm not from the future! Am I?_

Grovyle placed his hand on the wall, and chanted something that I didn't catch. The door began glowing, a blue circle of light carving a pattern into the cliffside, and a circular section of stone disappeared, revealing a tunnel, "You two… If anybody asks, you were blindfolded when brought here."

We both nodded, and we followed him into the darkness. When we reached the end of the tunnel, Vulcan and I both gasped, while Grovyle said, "Welcome to the Insurgo."

* * *

**_Booya. Insurgo Time! If you still haven't read my other stories, then go ahead and do so now, if you want. I'm not making you do anything. I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, because it helps keep me motivated to write more stories! Also, the poll is still only three out of ten votes! The entry thing is on my profile, near the top! Be sure to vote for which story you want to see next, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love! _**

**_-PL_**


	24. Strange Things Come to Light

**-Chapter 24: Strange Things Come to Light-**

**-Connor's POV-**

I couldn't believe what I was looking at… There was the largest gathering of pokemon I had ever seen in the crater below us. I looked around, and I saw that we were _inside _the mountain, as though a legendary pokemon hollowed out the entire thing to make this huge cavern. There were stone walkways, like catwalks, webbing the entire length and height of the cavern, leading to hundreds of different caves.

Along the walls and ceiling there was some sort of bioluminescent moss that glowed in a rainbow of colors, with blue fireballs lining the walls, making this place seem unaffected from the world outside. There were waterfalls on the far end of the cavern from where we emerged, and when I looked closely, I saw that they were… Flowing?!

"Grovyle!" I shouted.

He turned, "Hm?"

"Those waterfalls are flowing? But I thought time was frozen!"

Grovyle nodded, "As far as I know, this is the only place that has been spared of the planet's paralysis. This is the only safe haven for those that want to change this world."

I looked around at all of the pokemon… An Aggron, Cacturne, Shiftry, and hundreds of others that I didn't recognize. And at the far end of the cavern, a _massive _Steelix was curled up, snoring. The breathing of that pokemon sounded like a geyser with every exhale.

Vulcan's jaw was dropped the whole time, and I turned to him, "This place is incredible…"

Grovyle nodded, "It is. This place is our home for a short time before we head out again."

I smiled, "I don't mind this!"

Grovyle smiled, and we followed him down the stairs to the center of the cavern. I heard muttering, then shouting, "Grovyle's back!"

"He's back!"

"Grovyle's here!"

The pokemon gathered around him, and he smiled, "My friends… I am home."

He was saying hello to everyone when an Aggron asked, "Where's Connor?"

I shook my head, making sure I heard that right. I turned to Vulcan, and he raised an eyebrow while looking at me, "Connor?"

Grovyle looked to the floor, "I do not know…"

The mood of the group shifted, and they began muttering amongst themselves.

Then a Machoke looked at us, "Who're these two?"

Grovyle turned, "Just a couple of stragglers I picked up along the way here."

I looked around, and Vulcan and I both said the same thing… "I feel… Tiny."

All of the pokemon here were _huge_. Like, way bigger than their species normally is. Even the Charizard to our right was six and a half feet tall! "These two… They aren't even evolved yet. How'd they make it so long?"

Grovyle shrugged, "I don't know. But we-"

Suddenly, a Sceptile leapt from one of the catwalks above us, landing behind Grovyle, and he turned, "Father!"

I was shocked, _Grovyle has a dad…? I mean, it's not that weird, but I never really thought about it until now..._

The Sceptile smiled, and I saw that he had an eyepatch over his eye, "My son…" He looked to us, "You two…?"

He quickly glanced around, "Insurgo, you're dismissed. I wish to speak to my son and these two newcomers in private."

The pokemon dispersed, and he lead us all through the crowd, up a set of stairs and into a big sub-cave covered with grass. There was a small orange and tan pokemon with huge ears shaped like a V floating in the corner, and Grovyle glanced around, then looked back to the pokemon, "Where's Amber?"

I tilted my head, slightly familiar with that name, "Who?"

He shook his head, "It's another time travelling pokemon. She's… I don't know how to explain it."

The orange pokemon shrugged, "She said something about not being able to stay here, or something like that."

Grovyle nodded and looked around some more, and the orange pokemon smirked, "Celebi ain't here, if that's who you're looking for."

Grovyle scoffed, "Who said I was… Looking for her?"

I could've sworn he was blushing, but he turned back to us, "While we're here, we should eat." He glanced back to the orange pokemon, "Did she say where she was headed?"

He nodded, "She said that she moved it to Dusk Forest after headmaster's suggestion."

Grovyle began to walk out, but the Sceptile stopped us, "Wait…"

I turned nervously, "Yes, sir?"

"You two… You're…" He looked like he was straining to remember something, but he sighed, "Blast it all…"

Vulcan looked at him, "You look kind of familiar… What's your name, anyways?"

He looked at us, "I'm Basileus. Second in command of the Insurgo."

Vulcan gasped, "Basileus?!"

The Sceptile nodded, although he eyed Vulcan warily after his sudden outburst, "Yes… I do recognize you two as well, but only faintly…"

I was about to say my name, but thought better of it.

He shook his head, "I can't recall..."

His one good eye glanced over us, then to his son, "Grovyle… Take care."

Grovyle smiled jokingly, "I've done well so far. I will, father."

We left the large room, and Grovyle lead us to a huge stone balcony overlooking everything in the cavern, "This is the Insurgo. All of these pokemon fight for the same cause. The cause to restore what you've seen in the world outside of this haven."

I nodded, "The future of darkness."

He scowled a bit, then shook his head as he walked back into the chamber, muttering, "There's no time to prepare a full meal… He usually had a stash of 'snacks'… Here."

He lifted a small cabinet, and underneath were bags, and bottles… Vulcan raised an eyebrow, "What are… Doritos?"

Grovyle shrugged, "I don't know, but Connor said that they taste good."

I tilted my head, a sudden interest forming, "Who's Connor?"

He shrugged, "Not important. He is no longer in the picture."

Vulcan's shoulders dropped, "Oh."

I spoke up, "But-"

"I said it's not important. Do you want something to eat or not?"

"Sure." I didn't see any harm in it as he grabbed some of the items.

Grovyle grabbed three bags, two red and one blue. Vulcan took the red one, leaving the blue one for me and another red for Grovyle. We all opened the bags (Well, Vulcan opened mine. I don't have hands.) and we munched on the snacks. They were pretty good in my opinion, with a nice, crunchy texture, but Grovyle and Vulcan both spat them out, and Grovyle sputtered, "Well… Those don't taste good at all. I don't see what he found so enticing about them."

He humphed after tossing out the bag, "Well, let's get Steelix. We need to get to Dusk Forest as soon as possible."

We all followed him down the stairs, and he strode over to the massive metal serpent, "Steelix… I'm back."

Its eyes opened, and it slithered in circles, making a small earthquake, and Grovyle scratched its head, which was four times as big as Grovyle himself, "Hey, we need to get to Dusk Forest. We need to meet Celebi there."

The Steelix nodded, and he leapt onto its head, then he used vine whips to bring us both up there.

The Steelix scrunched up, kind of like a spring, and Grovyle turned to us, "Brace yourselves…"

I held myself down, and Vulcan did the same as the Steelix barreled towards the wall. I closed my eyes, but didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, and when I opened them, Vulcan's tail lit up a massive tunnel carved through the mountain that the Steelix was slithering through way faster than we could have walked. Grovyle turned to us, "Steelix knows where we're going. Now, about our plan…"

I tilted my head, "First things first… Who is Celebi, exactly?"

Grovyle laid down to avoid a stalactite hanging from the top of the tunnel, "She is the legendary time travelling pokemon. She'll probably be a little odd… But she is a nice pokemon. We'll need her help to get back to your world. Victini said she was in Dusk Forest, so that's where we're going. It's named that because of the dark fog that perpetually surrounds it. She is most likely in the deepest part of the forest, so we'll have some walking to do after Steelix gets us there."

I asked again, "Who… Was Connor?"

He instantly tensed up, and the Steelix growled slightly beneath us, as if responding to his tension. "Stop asking about him. I already told you it's not important."

We continued riding the metal snake for a long while, and I have to say, it was surprisingly comfy. Now, it wasn't like riding on a cloud comfy, but I expected it to be like riding on a metal brush or something. Grovyle sat atop its head, steering it, and we came out of the tunnel, and the dim light was almost blinding. We rode across the flat land, and I saw a forest ahead, rising over the stone ground. Grovyle pulled the Steelix over, and we all leapt off. Grovyle tossed it a sitrus berry, and it took off back to the mountain.

I glanced at the forest in front of us, and Vulcan let out a whistle, "This place tops the creepy charts…"

He wasn't kidding. In front of us, massive pine trees formed a line, and a dark purple, almost black fog was drifting a couple feet off of the ground. The trees rustled, and Murkrow were flying through the air. Grovyle looked at the forest, "Well, let's go. If you two need to store or withdraw anything, now's the time."

Vulcan wrote down our recent adventures while I replenished our apple supply, and after that, we ventured in. I heard the creaking of branches behind me, and I turned around to a solid wall of branches that formed tunnels and chambers.

Grovyle looked slightly troubled, "Mystery Dungeon. We need to stay on the move. The Sableye could catch up to us in here."

We made our way through, and I felt that same feeling again… Like I knew this place… The wild pokemon stayed away from Grovyle, so we didn't really have to fight anybody. When we made it to another clearing with a Kangaskhan rock, Grovyle began pacing around, "Celebi… She should be around here. But if Primal Dialga knows of this place… Then she'll probably have fled. But Victini said that she came here, so she must feel pretty confident that he overlooked it."

He cupped his hands around his mouth, "Celebi? It's me. Grovyle! Reveal yourself, if you're here!"

A few long seconds passed, and Vulcan glanced at the treeline nervously, "She's taking a while… Do you think Primal Dialga could've chased her off?" He gasped as if another thought occurred, "You don't think she's already been captured, do you?!"

A new voice rang out from all around us, "Captured?"

Vulcan and I looked to the treelines, "Um… You heard that too, right?"

"Tee-hee! You didn't imagine it! Me? Captured? How insulting! Captured?! Impossible, that's for sure!" There was a small flash of light, and a small, pink pokemon appeared in front of us. She had green highlights in her leafy hair, and littlefairy wings. She was about as tall as I was on two legs. She turned to Grovyle, fluttering at eye level with him, "It's been too long, my dear Grovyle…"

I saw a slight smile make its way across his face, "It has been a while, Celebi…"

Vulcan tilted his head, "This is Celebi?"

Celebi turned to him, "Now, that is downright rude! How inappropriate! To poke fun at my petite proportions…"

Vulcan waved his hand, "No, no… That's not what I meant. It's just the way Grovyle talked about you, I expected some huge, awe-inspiring pokemon."

She raised an eyebrow, smiling, "So, he speaks of me?"

Grovyle interjected, "Um-"

Celebi waved at him to be quiet, still looking at us, "It's quite alright… After all, you must find me cuter than you imagined! Tee-hee!"

Vulcan made a forced smile, "Um… Sure."

Grovyle spoke up, "Celebi… I need your help again."

She sighed, "Seeing you back here, my dear Grovyle, tells me everything I need to know. You're back because you failed in your mission to the past, correct?"

Grovyle cringed a little bit, "Yes… Even after the help you sent to me…"

She nodded, "I was afraid of that-" She saw me for the first time, "Oh, my… Your friend…?"

She fluttered over to me, eyes wide and staring at me. I was afraid to blink, she was looking at me so seriously. I felt a tingling on my scalp, like she was picking through my thoughts, and she gasped, covering her mouth.

Grovyle looked between us, "Is something the matter, Celebi?"

She shook her head while fluttering back over to him, "It is nothing, my dear Grovyle… I… I do hope that you succeed this time. I've had enough of living in this dark and dreary world. Grey is such a depressing color!"

Grovyle sighed, "There's no time to chat… The Sableye are tracking us. If we don't leave soon, then you're going to be in trouble."

She laughed, "There's no need to be worried! Let them come! They're of no concern to me. We've fought so many while battling the darkness that I've lost count! Besides, if you would be so kind as to prevent the planet's paralysis… We'll finally be spared the agony of living in this world of darkness! My dear Grovyle, I will devote my whole life to achieve that end!"

Grovyle nodded, with an expression on his face that seemed to be… sad. "Alright… Where is the passage of time?"

"It's nearby. On the plateau just above this forest. I've found that I quite like that spot."

"Can you guide us?"

She smiled, "Yes! All three of you are taking the passage of time, correct?"

I interjected, "Grovyle, is this passage of time what Victini said Celebi was moving?"

Celebi glanced to him, "You brought them to the insurgo?"

He nodded, "They were blindfolded. Don't worry."

She smiled while placing a hand on his cheek, "Do not lie to me, my dear Grovyle. I know what goes on in that head of yours, now, don't I?"

He shrugged, a small smile appearing on his face, "Worth a shot."

She punched him lightly, and flew off into the forest, "Now, follow me! To the Passage of Time we go!"

We wrote down our adventure into the Adventure log, which I hadn't really put much thought into, but somehow it was still here, in the future. I didn't question it. So along the way Celebi explained what the passage of time was.

"It's what I use to send others through many generations of time. Of course, I can leap back and forth at will, but for others, it acts as a portal. Only I have the capabilities to open it, so nobody can use it to mess up the entire Temporal Web and alter history for the worse."

I glanced to Grovyle, and he kept looking at the Celebi strangely… Like, in an admiring manner.

Celebi didn't notice, so she kept talking about all sorts of time-travelling stuff. Vulcan took it all in like a sponge, and at one point said, "You and Maris would be best friends. She loves all this stuff."

Celebi tilted her head, "Maris?"

Grovyle nodded, "A member of an exploration team in the past. Maris was very knowledgeable, almost more so than my mother."

Celebi nodded, "Is that so? I would like to meet her some day… Perhaps when this time is released from the clutches of paralysis, we may become acquainted!"

We kept walking, and before long, we hit the halfway point to the plateau. Vulcan wrote in our adventure log again, and we kept walking. All the wild pokemon stayed away from us, so we made it to the top in no time with Celebi leading us through the trees.

I looked at the cliffside we came to, and I saw an outline, like an arch right in front of us, maybe thirty feet on the opposite side of the clearing.

Grovyle turned to Celebi, "Only you can open the passage. Do your thing, Celebi."

She nodded as she floated forward, then a familiar voice echoed all around us.

"Stop there. That is quite enough."

Grovyle tensed up, extending leaf blades while crouching into a fighting position, "No…"

I shook my head, "No way… I didn't sense them even once!"

"Hello to you all. It certainly has been a while.

Celebi heaved the ground up, which I knew was the work of ancient power, and Dusknoir appeared from a shadow, "That is unnecessary, Celebi. There are no hard feelings here."

He made a small yellow orb float in front of him that floated from his eye, and Grovyle shouted, "Look away!"

We all diverted our gazes, but Celebi didn't turn in time, and I heard the boulders fall to the ground. Dusknoir floated forward leisurely, "Your scurrying carried you far… I'll admit, we had lost you in Dragon Mountain, but sad to say… It all ends now." Six sableye scurried around us, in a circle, and Vulcan set his hands ablaze, "Grovyle…?"

He was kneeling over Celebi, and began humming. Her eyes cleared, and she floated back up. Grovyle then looked around, "Humph… That's crafty, Dusknoir. You let us go, but kept an eye on us the whole time, so you could capture Celebi as well as me."

Dusknoir laughed, "That was merely a bonus! I had not anticipated her being here, but her capture will fare well with Master Dialga! Hahaha!"

Grovyle tilted his head in shame, "I didn't expect this… Celebi, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

She looked over her shoulder at him, "Oh? Apologies don't suit your style, my dear Grovyle! Pick your head up! Now is not the time to get all 'sorry'!"

Her eyes glowed, and Grovyle's head raised up with Celebi's psychic. He smiled slightly, "You two… Are you ready to fight?!"

Vulcan and I nodded, "Let's do this!"

Dusknoir smiled, "So, you'll resist. I expected as much. Spare yourselves the effort. You have no chance of success."

Grovyle glared at him as the Sableye began closing in, "We won't know for sure unless we try! Dusknoir! You and me, right now!"

Dusknoir sighed, "Grovyle… You are such a fool. Did you really expect that I'd come alone?"

I felt Grovyle's mood shift, "No… No way…"

Dusknoir looked to the top of the cliff, "Now, Master Dialga!" The entire clearing went pitch black. All I could see was Vulcan's tail flame. There were brief flashes, like lightning, then an ear-splitting roar that made Loudred's shouts seem like a whisper in the wind. At the top of the cliff, two red eyes gleamed before the darkness lifted and a colossal pokemon was standing there.

It looked down to us as another roar shook the earth, and I felt my entire being tremble with fear. I didn't see how Grovyle could stand up to it, but he looked up at it, "That… That's…!"

I looked at the being, and only one name came to mind, "That's… Primal dialga, isn't it?"

Grovyle was trembling slightly, and Dusknoir mocked, "What is the matter, brother? Where is your bravado now?"

Grovyle simply growled, and lowered his head. Celebi turned to him, "My dear Grovyle…"

His voice broke, "This is it for us…"

I felt my anger build up, but Vulcan exploded before I could, "How can you say that?! You were ready to push through not even ten seconds ago!"

Grovyle just shook his head, and fell to his knees, "It's hopeless… Dusknoir on his own is one thing, but… We don't stand a chance against Dialga. I'm so sorry it has to end here… I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Celebi."

She simply frowned, "Now is not the time, Grovyle!"

Dusknoir smiled at the broken grass-type, "Ha! Have you finally come to terms with your fate? We shall remove you for all of time! This is the end… For you!"

Grovyle stood up, and I expected him to dash forward like he did with us, but he held out his hands, "I… Surrender, Dusknoir. Do with me as you will."

Even Dusknoir seemed surprised, "Hm? Why do you give up so easily? That is so unlike you."

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. I am giving up… But hope is still alive…"

He glanced behind him, to Celebi, "You remember… When I went to the past to stop the planet's paralysis… I wasn't alone."

I nodded, "You told us that, but…"

He nodded, "I didn't tell you everything, though. When I went to the past, we had some trouble, and got separated. He should still be in the past. Even if I'm eliminated from the picture, my partner will see our mission through to the end."

Dusknoir glanced at all of us, then he began laughing. Ha! Ha-ha-ha! Hoo-hoo-ha!"

Grovyle turned back to him, "What… What's so funny…?"

Dusknoir smirked, "So… You claim somebody went to the past with you…? Incidentally, what was your partner's name? Go on, tell me."

"Why ask such a thing?"

Dusknoir crossed his arms, "What, you can't say?"

Grovyle scowled, "That's not true. My partner's name was Connor… My best friend."

Vulcan blurted out before I could even process what happened, "Are you kidding me?! Did you say Connor?!"

Grovyle turned at my partner's sudden outburst, "Yeah. Why-"

Vulcan gasped, and I saw Celebi nod, "That is Connor…"

Grovyle shook his head, "No… That's not possible! The Connor I knew wasn't a pokemon! He was a human! And if you're really him, why wait until now to tell me?!"

Dusknoir laughed again, "Hoo-hoo-ha! Precisely! Grovyle, that is without a doubt your human friend."

Grovyle knelt down to me, then looked back over his shoulder, "You're all lying!"

Celebi seemed hurt, but Dusknoir smiled cruelly, "The mudkip you see was once a human…"

Grovyle shook his head, "No…" as Dusknoir continued, "As you know, I was given a mission from Master Dialga… I was to get rid of the both of you… Of course, I would have stood no chance originally, so I trained six of my finest sableye to aid me. I travelled through time in pursuit of you both. In the past, I gathered intelligence to help me find you. As it went, at one point I met team firestorm, these two fine pokemon you see here. At first I suspected nothing. Then that Charmander told me of an extraordinary ability his friend had… The Dimensional scream. Only Connor had that ability in this time, so I was skeptical at first, but an idea had begun to form in my mind. Then, one of the Kecleon Merchants mentioned his name… Connor. And that Charmander told me so much information, including that he had amnesia. I was convinced then, but I had to make sure. When I overheard that he was a human, I knew that it was surely your partner!"

Grovyle growled, and Dusknoir smiled, "So, Connor developed amnesia, was transformed into a pokemon, and lost all of his power… Which must be because of your little 'accident' during your time travel. I must say, your partner's memory loss was a huge stroke of luck for me! After all, he failed to recognize who I was! And on top of that, he had no idea of the power he possessed! Had he known of either, I would have failed in my mission. But it was quite easy to win over their entire world's trust. And as such, it was simple to drag them back to the future when the time came!"

Vulcan's tail burned blue with rage, "You lied to all of us! How could you?!"

He charged forward, but Dusknoir knocked him back with almost no effort, "Please, spare yourself the trouble."

He continued, "After your partner's trust was in me, it was simple work to convince the world to help capture you."

I was trying so hard to absorb all of this information… _I was a human from the future… With some extraordinary power… I was Grovyle's best friend. We both went to the past, and that's how I came to Vulcan's world?_

Dusknoir smiled, "Grovyle and Connor… You two were the closest to ever changing the course of history. When I dispose of both of you, the entire world will tremble before the might of master Dialga, including your precious Insurgo."

Grovyle glared at him in silence, and Dusknoir laughed, "Have you finally come to terms with your fate? We shall remove you for all time! This is the end… For your little glimmer of hope!"

Vulcan made a ring of fire around us, making the Sableye retreat for a moment, "Connor! Grovyle! We can't give up!"  
Grovyle's eyes reflected the flames, giving him an almost immortal look, and he sighed, "You say not to give up… What can we possibly do in this bleak situation…?"

Vulcan pressed on, "Anything! Something! We have to think!" He looked around, then glanced to Celebi, "Celebi! Can your time travel ability warp us to the passage of time?"

She shrugged, "It won't be easy with Dialga here. Dialga is the Temporal Pokemon. His very presence bends time itself! Even if I could do it, he'd have no trouble exposing it!"

Vulcan nodded, "It doesn't have to be for long, just for a moment! Please!"

The Sableye were merely a few feet away on all sides, closing in as the flames died down, and Dusknoir shouted, "Attack!"

Celebi twirled, "Time to travel!"

I felt my body being compressed and moved at extremely fast speeds, then I heard a roar, followed by a sound like shattering glass before we re-appeared behind Dusknoir at the passage of time."

Celebi grunted, "Our path was broken!"

Dusknoir turned around, "There they are!"

Celebi turned to us, "Go! You can make it! Now!

Grovyle nodded, "I won't forget my promise, Celebi."

I shook my head, "Wait, what about you?!"

She winked, "Don't fret over me! I told you, I can't be caught! Stop the planet's paralysis! Go!"

Grovyle nodded, and we all leapt into the passage of time, and the last thing I heard was Dusknoir's shouts. I blacked out on the way through the portal.

* * *

_**Dun dun duuuun! If you still haven't read my other stories, then some of this might not make as much sense to you. But most of it will be cleared up in the next chapter. I know the Insurgo part was short, but I didn't want to take up a whole chapter with nonessential filler, especially since most of the cast from my other stories weren't there, for reasons I can't explain to you all right now. **_

_**As always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	25. Carry On My Friends

**-Chapter 25: Carry on, My Friends-**

**-Connor's POV-**

When I awoke, we were on a beach… I looked to my right, and I saw the beach cave… Vulcan sat up, "We made it…?"

Grovyle sat up as well, brushing the sand out of his leaf hair, "Yeah… This is it."

He took a step and fell on his face, sprawling in the sand. He spat a few curses, "Going that far really takes it out of you… Phoo…"

I helped him sit up, and I pointed to a nearby hole in the sand, "This is where I was washed up… This is where Vulcan found me."

I was surprised that the hole in the sand where I hefted a boulder out to sea hadn't been washed away yet, but Grovyle nodded, "So that's what happened. When we got separated, I was thrown up in Amp Plains. That means that we reached this world far away from each other."

Upon hearing that, more questions arose, and I asked, "Could you explain more about who I was? I can't seem to grasp that whole thing…"

Grovyle nodded, "I'd be glad to. But here isn't the place. We need to find a more secure location."

Vulcan nodded, "How about Wigglytuff's-" Grovyle glared at him, and he rubbed the back of his head, "Right… Wanted for stealing the Time Gears…"

Grovyle nodded, "They'd try to capture me on sight, no doubt. We need to lie low."

Vulcan smiled, "I have a place… But we need to sneak across Treasure Town to get there."

Grovyle shrugged, "Lead the way."

We went up the stairs, and we used a Vanish orb to sneak our way through without much effort. Vulcan pushed aside a fake bush near the edge of the cliffside, revealing stairs that lead down into the cliff, "I lived down here for a while before joining the guild. We should be safe here."

Grovyle nodded, "I see. A hollow chamber in the face of the cliff. It seems to be in pretty good condition."

Vulcan nodded, "I'm actually quite surprised. I let these two pokemon… A huge Tyranitar and Galvantula, if I remember correctly, stay here for a while. I half expected it to be wrecked."

Grovyle laughed slightly, "Those two…"

I tilted my head at his statement, "Were… Were they were part of the Insurgo, too?"

Grovyle nodded, "On top of that, they were my best friends after you."

I continued absorbing this information, and kept asking questions, "So… A group that huge would have a leader, right? Which pokemon leads them?"

Grovyle looked at me, "Well, for now, my father, but before all of this… You did. You were the one who started the entire resistance group. You were the one that lead us to fight Dialga's army in the war of the Hidden Land. Thanks to you, we won."

My jaw dropped at all of this, "Why did I lead them?! I was just a human, right? I shouldn't be leading a bunch of pokemon!"

Grovyle smiled warmly, "I'll admit, I didn't like you when we first met, either. But the reason that you were such a skilled leader was due to your abilities… The Dimensional Scream that Dusknoir mentioned is one ability of many that you possessed."

Vulcan sat down on a bench in the back, "What kind of power are we talking about? Dusknoir said something about failing if Connor had his power, right?"

Grovyle nodded, "Connor... you can literally do anything by manipulating aura."

"Aura… Like Lucario?"

He nodded in reply, "You could heal others, you could fly, shoot aura bolts, raise impenetrable barriers made of pure energy, anything. In fact, you've fought Dialga singlehandedly and won. You were that powerful."

I want to say I took the news well, but I practically collapsed into the hay bed Vulcan had set up while we were talking. "Wow… That… That's crazy…"

Grovyle sat in silence, probably letting me absorb all of that at once. I took a few moments, then I thought about that whole situation, "So… All of the pokemon there… They were all working to stop the planet's paralysis?"

He nodded, "Yes. We went on many adventures in our time there. Your Dimensional scream played a very vital role in locating the Time Gears in the future. The only problem that you faced was that it required a trusted pokemon partner to activate."

Vulcan raised an eyebrow, "A trusted partner…? I don't get that. Literally two days after I found Connor, he received a vision from the dimensional scream."

Grovyle glanced at him, "What's your point? That just shows how much he trusted you. Most likely due to his amnesia, but still… Anywho, that's why we worked together. The dimensional scream is set off by triggers tied to places where Time Gears are hidden. Using your ability, we had to find the locations. And we succeeded."

Vulcan interjected, "Whoa, wait… Connor's first instance of the dimensional scream had nothing to do with Time Gears! It was about an outlaw that we apprehended!"

Grovyle looked to the ground, perplexed, "That's strange. That never happened in the future. Perhaps time not being stopped contributed to the differences in the ability.

I nodded, "So… I didn't trust anybody else enough? Only you?"

He looked at us, "Well, there was sort of a prophecy about me, which is probably why it was me… Don't rub it in, it felt really cliche already."

Vulcan nodded, "What did it say?"

He recited it as if in a trance,

_In the future of darkness, a Treecko is born,_

_into a Grovyle, he will transform_

_lose a brother to the primal beast_

_before their friendship is long deceased_

_travel to the past, a world of light,_

_to restore his world, to make things right_

_with a human named Connor he will go,_

_only to become his greatest foe_

_against the time lord he will stand,_

_with the great heroes in his command,_

_facing his enemies without fear,_

_for it is his fate to disappear_

Vulcan and I both looked at each other, and Grovyle nodded, "It didn't really make a lot of sense at the time, but I understand most of it now."

I tilted my head, "And what would it mean?"

He shrugged, "You really want to know right now?"

I nodded, and Grovyle shrugged, "I guess we can't really do anything right now…" He grew a plant chair from the grass on the ground, and he began.

"I was a Treecko, in a world where darkness reigned. I evolved into a Grovyle. Along the way, Dusknoir and I… We used to be such close friends… We were almost brothers, when he was a Dusclops. Then, we were both taken under Primal Dialga's wing as apprentices, and Dusclops began losing his reason… When he evolved into a Dusknoir, he killed me, and I lost him to Primal Dialga. I travelled here to restore my future, with you, a human named Connor. The next part was tricky, but I think I get it. When it said I'd become your greatest foe, it's because you were trying to stop me from doing our mission, due to your amnesia, so I had to fight you, being the most powerful enemy you've faced so far. Then, some time in the future, I have to face Dialga. And the last three lines I have no clue about."

I shook my head, "How long have you known about that whole prophecy thing?"

He shrugged, "Since I could read, pretty much."

Vulcan nodded, "That is very- Wait, you said Dusclops killed you?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yeah. I've died… Twice, I think? I don't remember. You stop counting after it happens once."

"How is that possible? To come back to life?"

"Giratina really likes me, and let's leave it at that."

I nodded, not really wanting to press. I was still too shocked to really think straight. _So… I was the leader of a massive group of pokemon in the future, and I travelled with Grovyle here… But how did I get amnesia?_

I didn't realize that I asked that last part out loud, and Grovyle shrugged, "I'm not sure, but my guess is that it had to do with the trouble we got in while crossing through to this timeline."

I gestured for him to go on, and he glanced at Vulcan and I, "Well… After we found where the Time Gears were, we took the passage of time to this world. But during our journey, we ran into some trouble. There was a mysterious entity that attacked us. You shielded me from the lightning it sent out, but…" He took a deep breath, "You were stabbed. Straight through the chest with a shadow-infused blade. Then the wind separated us, and slung you through a different portal. I thought you were dead, for the longest time…" He placed his hand on the pale scar on my chest where there had been a hole through me, and continued, "And then, your friend tells me that you're Connor, you can imagine my shock, and why I thought you were lying."

I nodded, "But why did you say that hope lives on when we were cornered by Dusknoir, if you thought I was dead?"

He shrugged, "I was told by another friend that you weren't dead. That you were merely… Separated from me. So I held onto that hope." He laughed slightly at himself, "I just can't believe I didn't get your name until the last moment. That's so stupid of me not to ask... the entire time we travelled together…"

Vulcan shrugged, "Well, we got out of there, and we're all in pretty good condition. I'd say it doesn't matter, now that you know who he is."

Grovyle nodded, "You're wise. A lot wiser than first impressions had led me to believe."

Vulcan nodded, "Thanks, I guess. So… What now? We're here… And… We're doing… What, exactly?"

Grovyle pulled out his map from his wonder bag, "I'm going to have to get the Time Gears again."

Vulcan looked a little bit uneasy, "Um… I don't really like that we have to take the Time Gears… Are you absolutely sure that when we put them on top of Temporal Tower, time will go back to normal?"

Grovyle nodded, "Yes. As soon as we complete our mission, time will return to normal, and Dialga should put the Time Gears back, or make new ones. I don't know how that whole process works."

Vulcan nodded, "Then we're going with you. I don't want to make time stop even for a little bit, but we have to stop the planet's paralysis!"

He placed his hand on his relic fragment, which I hadn't noticed was still around his neck, and Grovyle raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Vulcan held it out, "It was a gift to me, from my father, given to me by Maris. She said that she wanted me to find out where it went, and to promise her I would. So I did, and I am still trying to figure it out. Next to our team's safety, this is the most important thing to me."

Grovyle moved in for a closer look, and I could quickly see why he and I were best friends. We were so alike in so many ways, even as a human and pokemon…

"What is that pattern?"

Vulcan shrugged, "All your studying about this world, I was hoping you'd be able to answer that.."

Grovyle blinked heavily before shaking his head, "That symbol is new to me…"

He turned to me, about to ask something, then stopped himself, mumbling, "Right… Amnesia…"

He glanced out of the mouth of the cave overlooking the ocean, watching the sunset, and he turned back to us, "The hour is late. You two are probably exhausted from all the running we did. We'll rest up tonight, then leave in the morning."

With that, Grovyle morphed the grass into a cot of sorts, we all laid down, and I fell asleep almost instantly, the fatigue in my muscles draining my energy.

When I awoke, I took a drink from the fountain at the end of the cave, and I glanced around. Vulcan was still asleep, and as I looked closer, Grovyle was gone. His bed had vanished, too. I looked around, then decided to go upstairs, thinking that he might be up there.

I moved aside the fake bush, and Grovyle was sitting on the edge of the cliff, staring at the waves in the light of dawn.

Grovyle glanced over his shoulder, "Hello… Sorry if I woke you up."

I shook my head, "No, you're fine… It's just… This all seems so surreal… Like a dream… I never thought I was _that _important. Like, a savior of the world or whatever. It's weird to think about."

Grovyle smiled, "I know how you feel…" He looked at me with a piqued interest, "I see it now… You're still you… With or without your memories, you still speak the same way, act the same, everything… We were best friends in the future, Connor. I'm just so glad to see you again…"

Then, I saw my shadow growing, and I turned around. Grovyle did the same, and I watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance, dying the sky purple, red, orange, then blue.

Grovyle's eye teared up, and he smiled, "It's a sight like this that makes me want to change the world… The pokemon of this world don't know how lucky they are to be able to experience this every day."

I nodded, "It _is _really pretty. I never realized… With guild training and everything, we never had time to really watch the sunrise."

Grovyle smiled warmly, "Well, it's morning. We need to start moving. Do you have a map?"

I nodded, "It's in my wonder bag downstairs."

We both went back down, and I woke Vulcan up. He mumbled, and I nudged him a little bit harder, "Hey, we're about to leave. Come on."

He sat up, then looked at Grovyle kind of funny until he blinked again, like he forgot he was here.

Speaking of Grovyle, he had pulled out our wonder map and was marking locations on it.

I walked over, "The closest one would be in the Underground Lake, right?"

Grovyle scowled, "But that one's guarded by Mesprit. If we go there, not only would we have to fight her for it, we'd have to move even faster now that our presence is revealed. I'd prefer to stay off the radar until the last possible moment. Instead, let's go to Treeshroud Forest. That's where I got my first Time Gear, and there's no guardian there. Only the vastness of the forest keeps that Time Gear a secret."

Vulcan and I nodded, and Grovyle reached behind one of the crates. Vulcan raised an eyebrow as he pulled out three white sheets of fabric, "What are those?"

Grovyle smiled, "Camouflage cloaks. A friend of mine made them back when…" He shook his head, "Back when we were working together."

I nodded, "That Tyranitar and Galvantula, right? We saw you with them when we rescued you from that one group of outlaws."

Grovyle nodded, "Yeah. Let's move. These will conceal our presence to any pokemon, including psychics."

Vulcan smiled, "I like that… Is it fireproof?"

Grovyle nodded, "The only thing that breaks these is sharp objects and large amounts of water."

Vulcan took one and threw it over himself, and I watched as he vanished right in front of me. "That's so cool!"

Grovyle nodded, "I know." He tossed one on, and shortly after, he tossed the last one over me. When I threw it on, I could see Grovyle and Vulcan just fine now, and Grovyle said, "Now, we can see each other, but remember, you're invisible. You don't need to sneak around."

We nodded, and headed up the stairs. Vulcan placed the bush back over the hole, and we walked into Treasure Town. It looked a bit troubled… Definitely not the usual bustle about the town. I wanted to ask what was going on, but I decided against it. I walked past a tent with a familiar marking… Our team's tent. Vulcan walked up to it, and the entrance was already open, so we all walked in. Sitting in there was the entire team. Rose, Vincent, Atlas, Nocturne, Magnus, and Mirage.

Vincent and Atlas were sitting down, arguing about something, and Rose seemed depressed while laying on the top bunk of one bed, "I'm just so worried about them… Dusknoir freaking dragged them in, and we couldn't stop him!"

Atlas turned to Vincent, "Vince, You were literally right there! Why didn't you do anything?"

Vincent looked about in tears as well, "I did! I ran as fast as I could, Atlas! They were gone by the time I reached the portal! Even Magnus couldn't get to them in time!"

Atlas crossed his arms, "Well, it's only been a week. They'll find their way back. We need to stay focused, and keep training."

Rose sniffed, "How can you say that?! That we should just keep training after our leaders just _vanished_?!"

Magnus humphed, "Connor and Vulcan didn't vanish, Rose. They were kidnapped. Every one in Treasure Town saw it. And it doesn't make a difference whether they got pushed, pulled, tripped, or f***in' sucked in. They're tough, from what I could tell in brief time I've been with them. If anyone can find their way back, it's those two. So stop worrying. Worrying's for pansies."

She shook her head, "But how are they going to make it back?! They can't time travel!"

Nocturne whispered, "I wonder where they are right now… I hope they're alright."

Vincent didn't even make any jokes, which meant he was really upset, really worried, or both, "I know, Noc. We all hope they're alright."

Rose looked directly at us, and I tried to back up, but I remembered that I was invisible. She murmured, "Connor and Vulcan… Carry on, my friends…" She began glowing, and a beam of light hit her from the top of the tent. I thought she was evolving, but she simply blinked, and Magnus snorted, "What was that?"

Rose sighed, "Wish… I wished for Connor and Vulcan to come home safely."

Atlas humphed, "That's not how that move works… Is it?"

She sighed, "We'll have to wait and see."

He crossed his arms, "Well, I'm going to the dojo. I need to hit something."

He stormed out, and Vulcan just managed to get out of the way before the Machop could bump into him. As he walked past, I saw a single tear make its way down his cheek, but he shook his head, "They'll be alright. They have to be."

I felt my eyes tear up as Atlas left, and Grovyle whispered, "We need to get out of Treasure Town. You'll see them again, don't worry."

We both nodded, and we moved a few miles off of the main road. Vulcan took his camouflage off, "That sucked… It's so wrong to spy on our own team!"

I nodded, shaking the cloak off of me, "Our team… They need us."

Grovyle nodded, and stashed all three cloaks in his wonder bag, "I know. But right now, we need to keep our heads down. If you go and say that you're back, talk will start. What will you say? That I'm a good guy, and Dusknoir's a bad guy? Who will believe you?"

I wanted to argue, but he had a point.

He pulled out his map, "Well, Treeshroud forest is maybe a couple hours northeast of here. Let's go."

Vulcan and I nodded, and he took off again. This time, we didn't have to worry about stealth, so Vulcan and I rode stones floating off of the ground. I figured out how to control them so well that I could adjust how fast the boulders went. Vulcan and I could keep up easily, but after a while, my energy to use Ancient Power was drained, so we had to run the rest of the way.

We made it there in really good time, and we stopped at the entrance to the thick forest, marked with a kangaskhan rock.

"This is it. The entrance to Treeshroud Forest." He perked up slightly as he stepped forward, "Hm?" He leaned forward and extended two leaf blades. "The atmosphere feels… Different than last time…"

Vulcan and I took up positions, but he stood up and regained his composure, retracting the leaf blades, "No. I must be imagining things. We'll go when you two are ready."

Vulcan and I nodded, and we went into the dungeon. The branches closed behind us, forming a barrier, and Grovyle looked around, "I'll lead the way. I've been here before."

We both nodded, and we followed him as he weaved through the trees swiftly and quietly. After a little bit of travelling, I quickly found out how one could get lost here so easily. I couldn't tell which way was left or right anymore. Plus, the treeline seemed to mesh together to block out the sun. But Grovyle kept moving like he was right at home.

After a little bit longer, Vulcan and I both noticed that the forest seemed to get… Greyer as we went deeper. At first we thought it was just the dim sunlight, but we came to a clearing with sunlight streaming down, and yet… Everything had a grey coloration.

Grovyle looked around, shocked, "Wh-what is this?!" Everything around us was frozen. Not a breeze was felt, and the dewdrops on the trees just hung there, suspended in midair.

"Time… Is at a stand-still here!"

I shook my head, "No, no, no… Vulcan, you remember, right? Just before we were dragged into the portal, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf said that they would put the Time Gears back!"

Grovyle narrowed his eyes, "Oh… That's problematic."

I followed his gaze, and on a small stone shrine, floating in the air was… A Time Gear, glowing with its signature green luminescence and everything.

I felt my entire being sink as I saw it, "A Time Gear…"

Grovyle nodded, crossing his arms, "No mistaking it."

I looked around at the frozen forest, and I wondered aloud, "Why is time still frozen if the Time Gear's here? Everything's still like Chatot told us when it froze the first time."

Grovyle glanced at me once as he walked up to it, then grabbed it right off of the stone altar thing, slipping it into another cloth bag that he had. The glow of the Time Gear faded, the pattern vanishing, and the entire area dimmed.

Vulcan gasped in surprise, "What'd you do that for?!"

Grovyle shrugged, "Time's already frozen here. It makes no difference if I take it now. But there's something more worrying…" He looked back at the altar, then to the ground in silence.

Vulcan tilted his head, "What's that?"

He shook his head in reply, "Forget it. Let's leave."

As we were whisked out of the dungeon, Grovyle turned to us, "Hey, I have a question for both of you."

I nodded, "Yeah, what is it?"

"Which one of your team members can keep a secret the best?"

After a brief hesitation, Vulcan and I said in unison, "Rose. Definitely."

Grovyle nodded, "Tomorrow, I want you to find her, and bring her to Sharpedo bluff. I want to know what's happening in this world, and I don't want you two going and asking around Treasure Town, and I don't want your team starting talk that you're back."

We nodded, "Will do, Grovyle."

He smiled, "Good. I'm counting on you."

We began the trek back to Sharpedo Bluff, discussing how Vulcan and I would go about the plan.

* * *

**Chapter 25. We're about two-thirds of the way there, guys! It's been pretty difficult to include all of the OCs that you have submitted, but It is worth it! As always, hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you all in the next update! Also, the poll is still up. It's going to be up until the end of the story, so be sure you get your votes in sooner rather than later! Much Love!**

**-PL**


	26. Welcome Home

**-Chapter 26: Welcome Home-**

**-Connor's POV-**

"How are we supposed to get Rose by herself? She's _always _with Vincent!" Vulcan asked as we continued to watch invisibly as Rose and Vincent kept talking about the most pointless stuff.

I glanced at Vulcan, "We just need to wait, or lure her away, or something."

He sighed, and under the cover of these camouflage cloaks Grovyle lent to us, we were both camping right outside our team's tent in Treasure Town.

Vulcan huffed quietly, "This is so weird… Why do we have to wait so long?"

I smirked, "Grovyle told you why. We need her to tell us what's going on without alerting the rest of the team that we're back."

Suddenly, Vulcan smiled, "I have an idea… It's probably stupid, but it should work."

He grabbed two sleep seeds from his wonder bag, and we both glanced into the tent. Mirage, Nocturne, Magnus and Atlas had all gone to the dojo, so Vulcan stepped in before I could protest, and slammed the seeds into both of their faces, still invisible, and they collapsed onto the beds. He grabbed Rose, and hid her underneath the camouflage cloak by holding her in his arms.

"You couldn't think of a better plan?"

"Shut up. She wasn't leaving any time soon."

We both booked it back to Sharpedo bluff, and when we came down, Grovyle was waiting, "Did you get her?"

We nodded, "Yeah. Vulcan's idea will probably get us caught, but we did it."

We set her on a hay bed, and we sat patiently, waiting for her to wake up.

When she did, she even caught Grovyle by surprise. Her eyes flew open and she was halfway across the room by the time we realized she was awake. And she managed to shock me with a half-effort thunderbolt before she gasped, "Connor? And Vulcan?!"

She slithered forward, and noticed Grovyle for the first time, "Grovyle!"

I stepped between them, shaking off the shock from her attack, "Hey, he's friendly. Hear us out…"

She shook her head, "Wh-What?" Then she glanced around, "Where are we, anyways?"

Vulcan crossed his arms, "We're in Sharpedo Bluff."

She looked about in tears, but she glanced at all of us, "How did you make it back…?"

I shrugged, "It's a long story… Rose, listen to me… I'm glad we're back, too, but we need this little encounter to stay between us. All of it."

She hesitated, "But-"

I cut her off, "No! We need to trust you, Rose. Vincent will be waking up after a little while, but we still need you to help us."

She nodded, "What do you… Need?"

She kept glancing at Grovyle nervously, and he crossed his arms as he sat down, "You two need to tell them about me. Being profiled like this is no good."

Rose glared at him, and I nudged her, "Hey, Rose, he's cool. Now, tell us what's been happening concerning the Time Gears. "

She nodded, "Um… Let's see… After you two were taken into the portal, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf put the Time Gears back in their proper places. Everybody, myself included, thought that the problem was solved, but time stayed frozen. We were all shocked, but then we discovered something even worse, it's _spreading._"

Grovyle tensed up, "Is that true?"

Rose snapped, "Of course it is! I don't even know why you're here! Dusknoir was supposed to-"

Vulcan placed a hand on her after that remark, "Um, Rose… We'll explain that, okay?"

She coiled up on a hay bed, "Well? I'm listening. I want to know why he's here with you, and why you're back without telling the team!"

I sighed, and explained everything that happened in the future, including what I figured out about my past, when I was a human. When I finished, Vulcan added, "True story."

Rose simply looked at all of us, "That… That doesn't make any sense!"

I shrugged, "I don't know how to clarify it any more."

She sighed, then looked at all of us, "And I can't tell the team _anything_?"

Vulcan shook his head, "That's why we got you, and not another team member. You can keep a secret, right?"

She nodded, smiling slightly, "Better than any of the guys on that team!"

Grovyle nodded, and extended his hand, "If you want any more clarification on the whole Time Gear thing, ask Team Core. But it is very important that this remains between the four of us."

She nodded, and I said, "Now, go get back to Vincent. If he's awake, say that Nocturne played a prank on you two with leaf whistle and you chased him out of the tent or whatever."

She nodded, and she slithered back up the stairs.

Grovyle scowled as she left, "This is bad. If time's stopping in more and more areas, then that can only mean one thing… Temporal Tower is starting to collapse."  
"Temporal Tower?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Temporal Tower gives structure to time itself, so if it's collapsing, then time will continue to stop in an ever-widening area. The planet's paralysis is coming faster than I thought."

Vulcan gritted his teeth, "Then we need to move! We need to get the Time Gears as fast as possible!"

Grovyle nodded, "Yeah… If we don't hurry, then we'll be too late, and the planet will be paralyzed. There's only one way to stop it. We have to get all five major Time Gears. Then we put those Time Gears in an altar at the top of Temporal Tower."

I nodded, "Sounds easy enough."

Grovyle chuckled, and I knew I'd made a dumb comment. "There's an issue with that… You see, Temporal Tower is in a place called the Hidden Land. That's where we were in the future. As the name implies, nobody knows where it is, even me. I've lived there my whole life, but I still don't have the foggiest Idea about how to get there, or where it is. That was your thing when we were travelling together in the future."

I growled, "There's no time for this!"

Vulcan nodded, and Grovyle looked at me intently, "So… We need to split up. I'll go get the Time Gears again, and you two look for ways to get to the Hidden Land."

We both nodded, and he said, "One more thing… The Hidden Land is located in a gap in time… And It's really far away, too. How far, I don't know, but we might need to look at crossing the sea. And Connor, you can't carry both of us that far. So we need to discover another means of crossing it, should it come to that."

Vulcan nodded, "Got it."

Grovyle took one camouflage web and draped it around his shoulders, so he was just a head floating in midair, "Well, I'm off to gather the Time Gears." His head floated towards the door, "Good luck." With those words, he tossed the other two cloaks to us, pulled the cloth over his head, and vanished.

I heard the fake bush move at the top of the stairs, and I looked at Vulcan, "Well, let's figure out how to cross the sea, for starters."

I nodded, "Agreed. Let's go."

We both snuck out invisibly, and we passed by our tent again. The whole team was in there, questioning Rose about what happened. Vincent was accusing Nocturne of the leaf whistle prank, and he was saying he didn't… It was looking pretty bad, but Rose was holding strong to her promise.

Atlas and Mirage were trying to break up the fight, but Vincent didn't seem to want to back down, which was so unlike him. Normally he was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but I guess he was just stressed out from all the stuff going on.

Vulcan and I went to the beach and took off the camouflage. He lobbed a fireball into the water, "A way to cross the sea… Easier said than done."

I stared at the sky blue water as it lapped at my feet, "Well… Crap. How the heck are we supposed to do that?"

Vulcan shrugged, "We could always go ask the Guild for help."

I shook my head, "Yeah, but… We disappeared in front of everybody! I mean, I'd like to see them… But still, if we tell them what happened, who's to say that they'd believe us? I mean, when we left, Grovyle was a villain, and Dusknoir was a world-renowned hero!"

Vulcan shrugged, "No harm in explaining. We're a team. Team mates trust each other."

I nodded after a brief hesitation, "...Alright. Let's go."

We both ran off of the crossroads, then towards the guild. We both stopped in front of the gate that was closed, and Vulcan and I stared at it.

Vulcan murmured, "It's kind of like our first time all over again…"

I nodded, and stepped forward onto the sentry post.

I heard Diglett's voice call out, "Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

Loudred bellowed, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint belongs to… The f-f-footprint belongs to…"

"What's wrong, Diglett?! Respond! Respond! What…? HEY, Diglett, where do you think you're burrowing off to?"

Diglett's voice cracked, "That footprint… It's Connor!"

I heard the rest of the guild burst into conversation, and Diglett popped out of the ground in front of us, "It _is_ Connor! And Vulcan too!"

The gate opened, and the entire guild poured out, tackling Vulcan and I with hugs, and Chatot and Wigglytuff came out behind them, and Wigglytuff smiled, "Welcome home, Connor and Vulcan!"

We all went down to the briefing room, and Chatot demanded an explanation. Vulcan and I nodded, and told them the same story we told Rose, making sure to leave the part of me being a human that lead the insurgo out of the equation.

Vulcan added points in that I missed, and the whole guild was so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the dirt floor.

"...And that's the gist of it."

Chatot flipped out, which I half-expected, "What?! What was that again? Just… Hold on for a moment. Allow me to get this story straight!"

I nodded, and Chatot collected his thoughts, "So… Let me summarize what you story consists of so far… First, Grovyle is a good pokemon…? And he was collecting the Time Gears to save the world, which in his timeline was completely paralyzed?"

"Yes…"

"And furthermore, the great Dusknoir only pretended to be kind and helpful…? But he was actually a heinous and wicked villain?"

I nodded, "Yeah… Although I didn't use the words 'heinous and wicked'."

Chatot ignored that, "And you were really Grovyle's partner in the future, and you were both part of a massive resistance group named the Insurgo, whose sole purpose was to prevent the planet's paralysis?"

I nodded again, and Chatot continued, "And finally… This planet will soon become paralyzed… And to prevent that… Grovyle has started collecting the Time Gears again? Meanwhile, you're looking for a place called the Hidden Land? Is that your story in its entirety?!"

"Yes. That's all of it."

Chatot paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Oh, my… You two must be truly exhausted! To come up with a story that farfetched! And not the pokemon, mind you!"

Vulcan and I both shook our heads, "What?!"

"Why don't you two go to your room and get some rest?"

My jaw dropped, "Wait, you think I made all that up?!"

Vulcan gritted his teeth, "We're telling the truth!"

Chatot continued laughing, "I'm sure… I'm sure… That you're both suffering from exhaustion! A good nap can fix that!"

I stamped the ground, cracking the floor, and Vulcan's hands smoked slightly, "Are you serious, Chatot?! We disappeared in front of _everyone_! You saw it yourself! You think that we'd lie about what happened?!"

Chatot stopped laughing and glared at us, "That is quite enough! So tell me, Connor, is there any part of your story that is even remotely plausible? A place called the Hidden Land?! I'm the head of intelligence here, and I've never heard of such a place! Besides, the great Dusknoir is far too kind to do anything like you've alleged!"

I shook my head, "Chatot, please, listen-"

"I'll hear no more of this! I don't care what you may have to say! The great Dusknoir, the villain?! That's simply unbelievable!" He turned to the rest of the guild, "Surely you all feel the same way? How can anybody think of the great Dusknoir as a villain?!"

Dugtrio's three heads spoke in unison, "We hold Dusknoir in high esteem. We cannot believe it."

Chatot turned back to us, "See?! The other apprentices share the same opinion!"

Sunflora placed a hand on her chin, "But… There's something I don't understand… When the great Dusknoir was about to return to the future… What Dusknoir did then, rearing up like that… And their team mate tried to rescue them! It's strange, any way you think about it."

Chatot tilted his head, obviously unconvinced, "Really? You don't think that perhaps Connor and Vulcan fell into the dimensional hole by accident?"

Loudred piped up, "NO WAY! Dusknoir grabbed them and YANKED them in! YOINK!" He mimed a pulling motion.

"Hey, hey, hey, he's right!" Corphish spoke up, "It looked that way to me too, hey, hey! What happened was really weird!"

Bidoof nodded, "Gosh, I really have to wonder why Dusknoir did something like that!"

"If… If what Connor and Vulcan said is true…" Chimecho pondered, "Then what Dusknoir did suddenly makes perfect sense!"

Chatot jumped up, "What? Wait a minute, you're saying that you actually believe the preposterous claim that these two are making?!"

The room was silent, before Bidoof nervously spoke up, "Um… I… Believe him."

Chatot turned to bidoof in shock, "What?! What did you say?! So, Bidoof, you're now claiming that the great Dusknoir is a villain?!"

Bidoof shifted uncomfortably, "Oof! Golly, I sure thought highly of the great Dusknoir. The whole idea sounds troubling when you put it like that. But there's something more important here, yup, yup! Connor and Vulcan are more important! That's why… I believe what they are saying!"

"Wh-wh-what?!"

I teared up slightly at what he said, "Bidoof…"

"Hey, hey, I believe you!"

"Me too! Oh my gosh! They're our colleagues, after all!"

Vulcan murmured, "Corphish… Sunflora…"

Loudred shouted, "I believe them!"

"Me too!" Diglett added.

"So do I!" Chimecho said.

Dugtrio proclaimed, "Casting doubt on our colleagues is wrong! Trust is a must!"

Chatot was speechless, and I was so happy I almost cried, "Thank you, everyone…"

Wigglytuff spoke for the first time since the conversation started, "Well, hiya! Sounds like we all agree! Yaaay!"

Everyone was surprised, "HUH?!"

"We all believe our friend! That's great! Then let's start searching for the Hidden Land!"

Loudred stepped forward slightly, "Whoa! Jus hold ON there, Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff looked over, "Hm? What's wrong?"

"We're not ALL in agreement yet, are we?"

Wigglytuff seemed super confused, "Huh?"

"We're all good with the story, but I suspect that Chatot isn't convinced!"

Wigglytuff smiled, "Oh! You don't need to worry about him!"

We all tilted our heads in confusion as Wigglytuff turned to the bird pokemon, "Chatot's convinced… Right?"

We all let out another collective, "HUH?!"

Wigglytuff smiled, "Because Chatot believed Connor's story all along! Didn't you, Chatot!"

Chatot began chuckling, and Loudred bellowed, "WH-WHAT?!"

Chatot cringed, "Well, Guildmaster, there really is no fooling you. I admit it." He turned back to us with a smile, "I did indeed believe Connor and Vulcan's story from the get-go."

"HUH?! REALLY?!"

Chatot nodded, "If I would have said that I believed them right away… Then you all would have just gone with what I said. That's why I was so contrary! I wanted to put your friendship to the test!"

The other guild members murmured doubtfully, but Chatot continued, "But without a doubt, I believed the story all along! I knew everyone would surely believe their colleague!"

"...Says you…" Sunflora mumbled.

Chatot laughed some more, and Wigglytuff observed us with those big eyes of his before turning to the rest of the guild, "Now, listen everyone! Time is stopping in more and more places. From Connor and Vulcan's story… Our world is in peril! That means that we have to do something! This is our time. In the name of Wigglytuff's Guild… We'll combine all our efforts! We'll discover the Hidden Land! Let's do this, everyone!"  
"HOORAY!"

Wigglytuff abruptly turned to Chatot, "Chatot!"

"Y-yes, sir." He turned to us, "Okay, everyone! From now on, we're shifting all our efforts into locating the Hidden Land! We must also let everybody know what is happening in our world! It's going to be busy. We'll all have to work hard!"

Everyone nodded their agreement, and Vulcan gasped, "The Lake Guardians! We need to tell them, or they'll try to stop Grovyle again!"

Chatot nodded, "Good thinking! Corphish, Sunflora and Dugtrio, go warn the Lake Trio. Diglett and Bidoof, tell Treasure Town. Everyone else, search for the Hidden Land!"

"YEAH!"

Chatot continued, "Bidoof, Sunflora, and others, once your errands are done, gather information on the Hidden Land."

Wigglytuff smiled as they all nodded, and he raised his arms, "We'll find the Hidden Land together! YOOM… TAH!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

_**Sorry about not posting the past couple days. I was Super busy with a capital S all weekend. I didn't even have time to get on my computer to begin uploading. I sincerely apologize. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did! It really helps to keep me motivated to write stories for you guys! Let me know how I am doing, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	27. Chasing Myths

**-Chapter 27: Chasing Myths-**

**-Connor's POV-**

Everybody started making plans about where they would get information, and Wigglytuff walked up to Vulcan and I, "I do know a lot more than I let on… But I'm sorry I don't have more information about the Hidden Land… But maybe Torkoal, the town elder, may know something."

Vulcan tilted his head, "Torkoal?"

"That would be the oldest and wisest pokemon of Treasure Town. He loves the hot spring, so he's literally always there. You'll find him there for sure."

I thought back a ways, and I recalled the pokemon that we met, "Oh, right! The hot springs past waterfall cave!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "You should put his years of wisdom to use! Go ask him about the Hidden Land!"

I nodded back, "Will do. We'll move out right away!"

"But first…" Chimecho smiled, "It's getting late. And besides, you must be hungry!"

"Huh?" Then, as if on cue, both our stomachs growled.

We laughed, and Chimecho said, "You should have dinner. Then get a good night's sleep. We can all get to work tomorrow!"

Our stomachs growled again, and Vulcan nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

So, after dinner, I went into my room, and laid down on my hay bed next to Vulcan. He sighed, "It's good to be home, huh, Connor?"

I nodded, "It sure is…"

Vulcan smiled, "I'm so glad that everybody believed us. It makes it a lot easier to come back to the Guild."

I nodded, then yawned, "I guess. Listen, all this stealthing around we've been doing makes a mudkip tired. I'm going to sleep. G'night."

Vulcan nodded, "Goodnight."

I closed my eyes, and drifted off into sleep almost instantly.

**-Vulcan's POV-**

After Connor went to sleep, I figured that I should probably go to sleep as well. I closed my eyes, and went to sleep, and after what felt like a matter of moments, my slumber was shattered.

"UP AND AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

I rolled off of my bed, falling to the floor, and Connor groaned, "Well… We're back."

We went to the morning briefing, and Chatot reviewed today's assignments. "Ahem! So, wrapping up… Everybody is aware of their duties today?" Everyone nodded and answered in confirmation, and Chatot flapped his wings, "Good, good! Those of you investigating the Hidden Land and those of you spreading the word about the true state of affairs… I expect you to organize your teams accordingly and get going. Let's get right to it, everyone!"

"HOORAY!"

We left with everyone else and was about to get ready to go to the hot springs. When Connor and I reached the crossroads, I walked into Treasure Town, and began saying hi to everyone. Suddenly, a gust of wind knocked us over, and Magnus was towering over us. "You two… You're kidding, right?"

"What?"

Atlas came up to us both from behind the looming grass and flying type, "You two go and disappear… Leaving us all worried sick… Then you come back. You're back for two days. TWO FREAKING DAYS! And you never thought to tell us?!"

Realizing what he meant, I felt pretty guilty, and Connor felt it too, "It's not that we didn't want to tell you… It's just-"

He cut me off, "It doesn't matter! You put Rose up to keeping the secret that you were back! You couldn't trust us enough to tell us yourselves?!"

Connor interjected, "Um, we wanted to tell you guys, but-"

Magnus glared at Connor, "But what? You think we wouldn't f***in' believe you? We may not be guild members, but we're still a team! Besides, we already heard from Bidoof what happened, so spare us the f***ing sob story."

A smile appeared on Atlas' face as he clapped our backs, "Come on, everybody's going to be psyched that you're back!"

He grabbed both of us and dragged us back to the team's tent. Everybody looked up, and all of their eyes were wide with shock, "Connor…? Vulcan?"

We both stood up, and I looked at them all, "Yeah. What's up?"

We got tackled by flying hugs, and when the team settled down, I turned to Rose, "Rose… I'm sorry that I told you to keep the secret…"

The looks on the other team members said that she didn't tell them anything, which made me look at Atlas. He shrugged, "I heard it from Vince. He said he could read minds since he sketched mind reader."

I did a face-palm in my head, _Of course Vincent…_

Rose smiled, "It's alright…"

Nocturne raised a hand, "Ooooh! Did you tell Rose to tell Vincent that I played a leaf whistle prank on them to cover up the sleep seed thing you did?"

I nodded, "That… Was our idea, too. I apologize, but we needed to stay off the radar for a couple days until we figured everything out."

Rose nodded, and the rest of the team slowly began to nod in understanding as well, until Magnus spoke up from behind us, "I can't wait to start doing some real missions. It's been f***in' boring just training at the Dojo."

I smiled, and Connor spoke up, "Well, it'll have to wait, Magnus. Right now, the fate of the world is in our hands, as corny as that sounds."

Magnus humphed, and Atlas nudged him, "Cheer up, you party pooper. We get to save the world!"

Connor nodded, a smile on his face, "We have to go to the hot springs for information, so we'll be back in a little while, okay?"

With that, we left for the hot springs, and we got there in really good time, especially since it isn't a mystery dungeon, so we didn't have to worry about losing track of time. Vulcan and I waded through the water, and sure enough, Torkoal was standing at the edge of the springs, smiling.

When we got closer, he turned to us, "Hm? Ah, my young friends! Come to wash away your exhaustion?"

Connor shook his head, "Not this time, Torkoal. We need to ask you something."

He nodded, and stepped down into the springs, his shell steaming, "Ah, I see. You seek my wisdom. Well, there's no better place than here to share your story!"

I briefly explained what was happening to the world, and what we needed to know, and he nodded, "The Hidden Land, you say…? I have heard of it."

I perked up, "Really?!"

"The Hidden Land is truly a place of legend… It is tattered lore at best, handed down by oral tradition."

I nodded eagerly, "Any information will help! Please!"

"Of course. I can only tell you what I've heard. The Hidden Land is an island far beyond the sea… In a hidden place, so the story goes. The Hidden Land allows only the chosen to find it. To go there, one must possess certain qualities."

Connor nodded, fixing his eyes on the elder, "Okay… What were those qualities, Torkoal?"

"The are…" He paused and turned away, mumbling, "Er… What were they?" He turned back to us, "I apologize… It has slipped my mind."

I shook my head, "No, you forgot?! Please try to remember. It's really important!"

He tilted his head, "Easy for you to say… Er… Um… Oh! That's it! You need proof! You need proof of some sort… Yes, that was it. Proof."

"Proof? What kind of proof?"

"That would be… Er… Um? Forgive me, I've forgotten again."

I sighed, "You can't remember…?"

He sweat a bit, "I am sorry to disappoint you…"

Connor smiled, "It's no trouble! If you remember anything else, let us know!"

Torkoal nodded, "I will. Take care on your way back to the guild!"

We both nodded and left back for the guild. When we got there, we shared our findings with Chatot, and he sighed, "So Torkoal couldn't provide us with many answers… That's too bad…"

Wigglytuff smiled, "That's not entirely true! We know that we need proof! And knowing that is a step forward, Right?"

"Hey, hey! We're searching too!"

Loudred sighed, "Yeah, but we didn't find anything."

"But…" Bidoof interjected, "There's no giving up! We have to keep trying, by golly!"

"I'll keep trying too!" Diglett exclaimed.

Sunflora looked out the window, "We still have a few hours before dinner. We should keep searching!"

We all nodded, and left the guild, asking around Treasure Town. We began asking around, when I heard my name. "Vulcan!"

I turned, and Seth, the Gallade from Team Core, was running up to us, "I heard your guild was looking for the Hidden Land?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah… Why?"

He smiled, "Come with me."

We followed him, and when we came to their tent, Maris the Delcatty was studying several books being held by Quint in the air in front of her by using psychic. She saw us, and Quint put the books down as she inspected us both, "Oh my gosh, Vulcan! We were so worried about you! We were exploring, and when we came back, we'd heard that you and Connor had vanished into the dimensional hole!"

I smiled, "Well… We're back."

Maris nodded, "Grovyle already came to us, and told us of the predicament that's occurring. So I've been studying up on the Varius scrolls, or what's left of them in the books, to try to get us some leads. Lucerna went off to tell the Lake Guardians that Grovyle's a good pokemon, now that you're back again."

I smiled, "Well, the Guild's already taken care of- Wait, how did you already know about Grovyle? Did somebody tell you?"

Maris smiled, "Oh, we believed him from the beginning, when he was here the first time. I had read up so much into the temporal crises after the outbreak of mystery dungeons, I found several stories of a grass-type pokemon taking the Time Gears to Temporal Tower after the world tried to stop him, so we believed him, and actually… We helped him the first time around, as much as Quint didn't want to."

I reeled back in shock, "You're kidding! You guys helped him take the Time Gears?!"

Quint nodded silently, but Maris smiled, "Of course! Oh, where are my manners? You've come here for a lead to the Hidden Land!"

She strode back to the books, which Quint began floating again, and she studied each one intently, "I think… It's page 435 of the book of aevus…"

Quint turned the pages of a book on the far right with psychic, and Maris nodded, "Thank you, dear… Um, let's see… It says… That in order to find the Hidden Land, you must seek the aid of a Temporal Guardian… Whatever that is. It shows rough images of a pokemon, but from what I could depict, it's a Lapras… And you need to activate some sort of beacon in a cave to call upon her."

She eyed the next page, then muttered a curse, "Oh, fantastic…"

The page had been torn out, and she skimmed the next page, "Nope. That's all I've got… Sorry!"

Connor smiled, "Thanks! We need all the help we can get!"

We left the tent, and Connor and I began piecing together the puzzle.

"So… We need to activate a beacon in some cave that we don't know the name of… To find a Lapras that will take us to the Hidden Land? And we need proof of something, according to Torkoal."

Connor nodded, "That's about as much as I got so far."

I threw my hands up, "How the heck are we supposed to do that? There are hundreds of caves! And where the heck are we going to light a beacon that a pokemon can see from the sea from in a cave?!"

Connor smiled, "You know what… Let's call it a day after we talk to Briar."

I gasped, "That's right! Briar!"

We looked through all the tents until we found the Grovyle sitting amongst her books and scrolls, and she looked up at us, "Oh, hello! I'm glad to see you two safely returned.

We both nodded, and Connor stepped forward, "Briar… We have a few questions."

She crossed her arms, "If it has something to do with the Time Gears, then I am afraid you are wasting your time."

Connor shook his head, "Oh, no, it's not that… I just want to know… What do you know about a place called the Hidden Land?"

She blinked heavily, and chuckled, "That would be Maris' strongsuit. She always did love reading all those ancient prophecies and things of that manner. But me? No, I prefer less... mythological fields of study. If you want to find out more information related to the Temporal Crises, then go ask her."

Connor nodded, "Thank you, Briar. We will check with Maris."

She nodded back, "I'm sorry that I am unable to provide any information that you need."

We both smiled and said it's alright, then headed back to the guild. After dinner, Connor and I both sighed, and laid down.

I turned to him, "You know… I was kind of hoping that we'd have a solid lead after Torkoal, Maris and Briar. This search isn't really going as fast as I'd hoped."

Connor nodded, "Me too. I wonder how Grovyle's mission is going. We need to hurry up with this. He's counting on us!"

I nodded, "Well, no point staying up late tonight. Let's get to sleep."

Connor closed his eyes in response, and we both went to sleep.

**-Connor's POV-**

The next morning, Chatot briefed us about the search, "Ahem! So, in short… The Hidden Land remains shrouded in mystery… But we're not giving up! Let's get out there and investigate again today! Let's go everyone!"  
"HOORAY!"

Everybody left, but Vulcan and I both stared at each other, unsure about where to go next.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

I turned to the sentry post as Loudred shouted, "Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint belongs to… Torkoal, the town elder! The footprint belongs to Torkoal, the town elder!"

Vulcan and I looked at each other, and I knew we were both wondering the same thing. _Why's Torkoal here?_

After a long while, Torkoal slowly came down the ladder, out of breath, "Huff… Huff… I've finally… Caught up with… Huff… Climbing up to this guild is hard on these old bones."

Vulcan tilted his head, "What brings you all the way here, Torkoal? Did you remember something?"

The elder nodded, "Indeed, I did. But I've recalled only one more tiny thing, sorry to say… Yesterday, I contemplated the waters of the hot spring for a long time. Finally, one recollection surfaced. But… it really is something small. I worry if it will even be worthwhile sharing it with you."

Wigglytuff radiated happiness, "Not a worry! Even a little bit of information helps! However small, please say it!"

"When we spoke of travel to the Hidden Land yesterday… I said that you needed proof of your qualification to go there. I remembered a bit more about that proof. The proof… bears the inscription of a certain pattern."

I tilted my head, "A certain pattern?"

"Hey, hey! So what kind of pattern would that be?"

Torkoal tilted his head, "Er… How can I describe it? It's difficult to describe… But I can tell you that the pattern is intricate and odd. It's a peculiar kind of pattern. The kind that you rarely see."

"A pattern you rarely see…" Bidoof pondered out loud, "Golly!"

Sunflora seemed to be in deep thought, "But trying to think of such a thing! It's difficult when one tries!"

"Hmm… What could it be…?" Chimecho wondered.

Vulcan and I looked at each other again, and I saw him messing with his relic fragment, not really paying attention. I moved in closer, "Vulcan… Let me see that…"

He held it out for me, and I gasped. _No way we're that lucky…_

I looked over my shoulder, "Torkoal, could you take a look at this for me?"

Vulcan walked over, untying the relic fragment from around his neck, and Torkoal's expression was shocked, surprised, and astonished. All three at the same time."Oh! Th-this is it! A pattern just like this!"

Everybody shouted, "WHAT?!"

Torkoal looked at Vulcan dead serious, "Where… Where did you get this?"

Vulcan shrugged, "It was a gift. I've had it for as long as I can remember."

Sunflora cheered, "Yippee! This is fabulous! Since Vulcan has this… Does it mean that Team Firestorm is qualified to go to the Hidden Land?"

Torkoal shook his head, "That, I would not know. Maybe yes, maybe no. To get to the Hidden Land, one must surely possess that proof. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the bearer of the proof really possesses the qualifications to be… Chosen. That proof may merely be the physical key to the Hidden Land. Even before that, though, this shares the same inscribed pattern… There's no sure connection between this relic and the Hidden Land."

"Oh!" Wigglytuff beamed, "But…! There's no question that this pattern has something to do with the Hidden Land? Knowing only that is a lot!"

"I suppose so…" Then the elder looked at all of us again, "Wait… You do realize that the Hidden Land is only a spoken legend, right? You're not trying to find it, are you?"

"Yes! We are!" Wigglytuff kept his smile.

"My goodness! What a surprise!"

Vulcan leaned towards me, "Grovyle lives there, so we know it's real…"

I shrugged, "Torkoal doesn't know that."

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot, "Chatot! This pattern… We've seen this somewhere, haven't we?"

Everyone, including Vulcan and I were surprised. "WHAT?!"

"Y-yes... The sea inlet to the northwest… Inside Brine Cave…" Then he cringed, "But Guildmaster, that place-!"

Wigglytuff nodded, "I know… That vicious bandit was there."

Everyone was unsettled by the sound of that, and began murmuring, but Wigglytuff calmed them down, "Everyone, please listen. I once saw this same pattern deep inside a place called Brine Cave. I think we can discover more by taking the Relic Fragment there. However, there is one problem. There is a pokemon lurking there that is a vicious bandit."

Corphish spoke up, "Hey, hey! We're not about to let that scare us!"

"Aren't we explorers?" Loudred exclaimed.

Sunflora added, "We all need to be brave!"

Wigglytuff smiled, "Thanks, everyone! But that place will be challenging, even for us. We need to prepare, and we will set out for Brine Cave tomorrow!"  
"HOORAY!"

Torkoal laughed heartily, "Hohoho… And here I thought that the Hidden Land was nothing more than folklore! Getting old has made my thinking so inflexible. That's very sad. This all makes me remember the days when I dreamt of romance and adventure! Help me see my dreams again! Do your best! Hohoho!"

"You bet, Torkoal!" I called as he left.

Wigglytuff waved, "Thank you, Torkoal!"

"Oh, it was nothing! Hohoho!"

Then he left up the ladder.

Wigglytuff turned back to us, "Alright, everyone! Spend the rest of today preparing! Okay, dismissed!"

"HOORAY!"

Everybody started filing out, and I heard Wigglytuff say, "Chatot, you will stay at the guild on standby."

Chatot flapped his wings, "G-Guildmaster! Forgive me if I am out of line, but… Please, let me go to Brine Cave!"

"Nope! I can't let you face danger like that ever again!"

"But that's why! That's why I must go! Please, take me to Brine Cave!"

"...Okay. But I want you to go with Team Firestorm. Show them the pattern, lead them to it. But be careful. I want you to stay safe."  
"Thank you! I won't let you down!"

"Another thing… I have something I need to do, so I have to go out. You're in charge while I'm gone."

Chatot nodded, "As you wish." Chatot walked up to Vulcan and I, "That is where it stands. You will be with me tomorrow. As such, your non-guild members may not come along. Brine Cave has vicious foes, more powerful than in most areas, and towards the deepest part, a particularly powerful enemy lies in wait. You mustn't let your guard fall! And don't do anything that keeps me from succeeding there!"

"Okay…"

Vulcan smirked, "Alright, Chatot. Consider it done."

**-Torkoal's POV-**

After I left that guild, I felt revitalized, in spite of my age. I slowly went down the stairs, and came to the crossroads. I chuckled to myself, "Oh, to be young again… If I was younger, I would certainly join the challenge to find the Hidden Land."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Hold it there, old-timer!" A voice called out.

Startled, I looked around, "Wh-who is it?"

From the shadows, three pokemon circled around me. A Skuntank, Koffing and Zubat.

I looked to all of them, who were glaring at me, "Wh-what is it? What do you want?"

"Chaw-haw-haw! We're team Skull!" The Skuntank mused.

"Heh-heh! Did you have business with Wigglytuff's Guild, old-timer?" The Zubat fluttered in front of me.

The Koffing chuckled, "Whoa-ho-ho! I overheard you say something that sounded fun!"

"Something about the Hidden Land. Chaw-haw-haw!"

I realized that I was trapped, so I tried to 'play dumb', as that Mudkip would have said, "I-I was only…"

I heard footsteps, and the Zubat muttered, "Someone's coming!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Guild chumps?"

The leader motioned to the path leading to the beach, "Old-timer… Why don't we take this chat somewhere we won't be disturbed? Chaw-haw!"

I tried to leave, but they circled tighter around me, and unable to do anything, I followed them down the path.

* * *

_**Betcha didn't expect two chapters right away, huh? Just a thank you to all you guys that have been with me through the story. Namely DeoxysSpeed, Yamato, OnyxWhip, and Kurashi. You guys have been great from the beginning. Just wanted to say thanks to you guys for helping to keep me motivated to write! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	28. Keys to the Hidden Land

**-Chapter 28: Keys to the Hidden Land-**

**-Vulcan's POV-**

We went to Kangaskhan storage and sorted out our treasure bag. I grabbed my blue bow, Connor readjusted his stamina band, and we filled up on the standard items: Oran berries, reviver seeds, apples, and a couple petrify orbs, for the monster houses.

We began walking back to the crossroads when Connor said, "I wonder if Grovyle's back."

We both decided to go check. We went to Sharpedo Bluff, and lifted the fake bush. We went into the hideout and looked around. Grovyle wasn't there, but there was a letter on my bed.

_To: Connor and Vulcan_

_How are you doing? How goes your search for the Hidden Land? Things are going well on my end. I've already collected three Time Gears. I have to find only two more. I plan to join you when I've collected all five. _

_Plans have proceeded smoothly. Azelf and his siblings understood the situation and have fully cooperated. Azelf told me that members of your guild let them know I was coming. Thank you. It's heartening to know that more and more pokemon are coming to trust us. However, I will continue to stay away from Treasure Town and the guild. First, I'm not certain if the pokemon of this world trust me entirely or not. But there's something more troubling than that. Dusknoir is liable to return to the future at any time."_

I gasped, "Dusknoir!"

Connor nodded, "It makes sense. Dusknoir almost had us. He'd probably follow us to complete the mission."

We both started reading again, putting aside that fact.

_Since Dusknoir will be coming, it's best to keep a low profile. That is another reason I should stay away from Treasure Town and the guild. I will probably instead come back to Sharpedo Bluff or the beach. If we should meet, then we should exchange information. _

_Good luck on your end. Together, we shall stop the planet's paralysis._

_From: Grovyle_

Connor nodded, "He's got really good handwriting."

I chuckled, "That's what you're focused on?"

He shrugged innocently, "Not really. Just an observation."

**-Connor's POV-**

"Okay, so if this letter is anything to go by, then he'll be at the beach if he's finished."

Vulcan nodded, "Let's go check."

We made our way to the crossroads, then turned to the beach. When we got there, we looked around, and Vulcan shrugged, "Guess he hasn't finished his mission yet."

When I looked out at the ocean, I thought about when Vulcan first found me. It was an evening just like this. The waves were peaceful, the sun was setting, the Krabby were-

I looked around, and Vulcan voiced my thoughts, "Where are the Krabby? They always come out this time of day on clear evenings."

I shrugged, "Whatever. It's fine."

Vulcan looked down at his relic fragment, "You know… All this time, I didn't know what was so special about this little stone. It was a gift… From my dad, to me. I wonder if he knew what would happen with it? I just can't believe I'm finally figuring out what it goes to. It's like a dream. It's hard to think that all of our adventures started with this little thing, huh?"

I thought about it, and I found that he was right. _It started with me helping him get it back. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. Ever since then, we've been inseparable. Starting out with just he and I, we began recruiting members. Each one contributing to make our team the way it is. Atlas, Vincent, Rose, Mirage, Magnus, Nocturne; We wouldn't be where we are today without them. We wouldn't trade a single one of them for anything. And they wouldn't abandon us for anything, either. Now, this little relic fragment, the thing that started all of this, was going to help us save the world._

I continued gazing out over the sea, and Vulcan smiled as he sat down in the sand. _Moments like this will be lost if we don't stop the planet's paralysis. We have to stop it from happening! Did Grovyle feel this when he first arrived too? If I hadn't lost my memories, would I have felt this too?_

I shook my head, chiding myself. _If I still had my memories, I don't know if any of our team would be where they are. I'm glad I got to meet them all._

Vulcan pointed out to sea, "Connor, look at that!"

I saw a shape gliding across the horizon, on top of the water. It was a shadow, but I couldn't get a good look at it due to the sun being in my eyes.

"It looks like... A pokemon."

I shrugged, "It's getting dark. We should head back."

Vulcan nodded, and we both walked back to the guild.

**-Skuntank's POV-**

After those two chumps left, we came out of hiding from the treeline.

I turned to Zubat and Koffing, "Chaw-haw-haw! The Krabby weren't around for a good reason! They ran off! Scared of us! Chaw-haw!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! But Chief! That old-timer Torkoal wasn't lying to us, after all!"

"Heh-heh! That junk we stole way back when… I didn't know it was something that valuable."

I glared at him, "So what? We'll get that relic fragment from them one way or another. That means that the Hidden Land is going to be explored by none other than us, Team Skull! Chaw-haw-haw!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

**-Wigglytuff's POV-**

It was close to midnight, the silver light of the moon washing over everything in the ocean. I wasn't very tired, but I was waiting in the cave that looked out to the sea, and greeted the pokemon as it sailed into the inlet.

"Lapras! Long time no see!"

She looked down at me, "It's been too long, Wigglytuff. You look well. Is Chatot doing well too?"

"Yes! Very well!"

"I'm glad to hear that!" Lapras smiled, "I've always meant to thank you. I deeply appreciate the promise you made… And upheld for all this time."

I smiled, "No problem! No big deal! I know how big a deal it is to you and the others. But today… I'm here to see you about that promise. We find ourselves in a situation where we cannot afford to uphold it, I'm afraid. And I know that you know why. So please tell me… about that… strange pattern we once saw.

**-Connor's POV-**

Chatot gave an announcement in today's morning briefing, "And so, as you're all quite aware… The Guildmaster has not yet returned from his errand. However, I intend to set off for brine cave as scheduled."

"Hey, hey! Where'd the Guildmaster go, anyway?"

Chatot cringed, "Um… I wouldn't know."

"Will it be okay without the Guildmaster?" Loudred asked.

"No problem! There is no need for your concern at all. The Guildmaster must have decided that we can manage on our own without him for the time being. That's why he hasn't come home yet. Furthermore, in the place of our absent Guildmaster, you have me to lead you!"

Everybody was silent, which made it kind of uncomfortable for such a large room. Chatot looked around, "Uh… Why isn't anyone saying anything?" Then he flapped his wings in shock, "It… It can't be! Do you think that I'm not up to the task! E-everyone! Out with it! Am I perhaps… perhaps… Inadequate? Worthless to you?!"

Bidoof shook his head, "Uh, nope. I wouldn't say that, by golly!"

Chimecho added, "When the Guildmaster isn't here, it just feels less safe, y'know?"

Corphish nodded, "Hey, hey! You know the Guildmaster! He's hard to figure out… But, hey, hey! He really comes through when times get rough!"

"But he Guildmaster isn't with us right now, so… We have to take charge and do as he wanted! " Sunflora exclaimed.

I nodded, "That's right! I'm sure we can do this on our own! Let's go for it!"

"You're RIGHT! We can't count on the Guildmaster for everything!" Loudred shouted.

"Oh, yes!" Chimecho cheered, "That's the spirit! Let's do our best!" She turned to Chatot, "The Guildmaster is absent, so there's only one among us who can lead. That's you, Chatot."

"Huh? Wh-who? Me?"

"Of course. You said so earlier. You said that we'll be fine because you're here to lead us. Lead the way! Show us, Chatot!"

"That's right! Show us, Chatot! Hey, hey!"

"Yup yup! I'm counting on you!"

Chatot cringed and turned around trembling, "W-w-well… e-e-everyone… You can always count on my when th-things are this bad…"

"What's the matter Chatot? Sound the call to duty already!" Loudred shouted.

Chatot nodded and turned back to us, "I know, I know! Commencing now… We shall depart on a guild exploration of Brine Cave! Everyone! Let us excel together!"

"HOORAY!"

We all left, and travelled as a group to the cave. About an hour later we arrived, and Chatot stopped us at the entrance.

"Now, listen, everyone. This is the entrance to Brine Cave. Your objective is to reach the deepest part of this dungeon. That is where one will find the same odd pattern inscribed on the Relic Fragment that Vulcan possesses. However, it is where the extremely vicious pokemon lurks."

"E-extremely vicious?" Bidoof murmured, "Golly, that sounds scary!"

"Hey, hey! Chatot!"

Chatot turned to Corphish, "What is it?"

"Yesterday, Guildmaster said something about that vicious pokemon. But, Chatot, you seem to know just as much about this dungeon, hey, hey?"

Chimecho agreed, "Is it possible that you've been here before?"

Chatot nodded, "That's right. I have come here before. I explored here a long time ago with the Guildmaster. It was deep in this cave that we saw the peculiar pattern. It was then, however… Those tough pokemon appeared."

Loudred gulped, "S-so, what were they like? Tough, you say?"

Chatot looked to the ground, "Um… I don't remember at all."

"Huh? You don't REMEMBER?!"

"Yes, but I loathe to admit it. They attacked me with no warning out of nowhere. I was knocked out before I could do a thing. When I came to, the Guildmaster was tending to my wounds. But I had no memory of events before that. So I couldn't tell what the attackers were like."

I thought about it, and before I could speak up, Dugtrio said, "That doesn't give us much to go on…"

Sunflora looked worried, "So we don't know what kind of enemy we're facing? We'll have to make our way slowly…"

Vulcan raised his hand, "Wait."

We all looked to him, and I could tell that he had come to the same conclusion, "Chatot, at first you said there was one vicious pokemon. Then you said 'they' attacked you. Is there more than one?"

Chatot placed a wing on his chin in thought, "Hmm… No, it wasn't just one. There was one extremely vicious pokemon, but it wasn't alone." Then he gasped, "When they attacked… Oh, I remember now! They all attacked at once… I recall getting slammed by water… Like a tidal wave!"

No one looked very excited by that prospect, and Dugtrio said that he and diglett had to be extra careful with water-type attacks. Sunflora said that it would be dangerous to face a group like that alone. Chatot agreed and continued.

"We should make several groups to explore the cave."

Bidoof nodded, "We'll do that, sir! Yup yup!"

"Hey, hey! We should make several groups that don't bunch up types." Corphish suggested.

Chatot turned to Vulcan and I, "You recall what the Guildmaster said yesterday. You must travel with me during the exploration of this cave. Understood? I trust you won't hold me up too much? Oh, you must not expect me to do everything for you! It's up to you to look after yourself!"

"Yes, sir…" I muttered.

He walked ahead, and Vulcan whispered, "What does he think we've been training for? A baking competition?"

I stifled a laugh, and we walked forward as Chatot turned to everyone else, "Alright, everyone! We're off to conquer Brine Cave! Let's give it our all!"

"HOORAY!"

We all ventured inside, and were warped to different parts of the dungeon. Vulcan and I stayed close to Chatot and were warped in together.

Throughout the dungeon, I found out that the pokemon there were mostly water and Ice types. Vulcan and I were struggling covering for each other, since we were pretty much reduced to normal type moves because of water absorb and type disadvantages. Chatot was cool the entire time. Of course, I carried Vulcan across certain patches of water, and dove down to get some treasure boxes, but other than that, we didn't really have a whole lot of trouble.

When we reached the waypoint, we stopped briefly, and Vulcan sighed, eating an oran berry, "I'm soaked… Are we almost there?"

Chatot nodded, eyeing the path warily, "Yes. We do not have far to go. However… As I've told you before… Every step also brings us closer to those vicious pokemon."

I nodded, "Right. We can't let our guard-" As I said it, Vulcan was launched forward into the wall, and a fast shape snatched the relic fragment from around his neck. When I saw them, I sighed, "Oh, it's just you three…"

Vulcan turned around, "What is your problem?! We didn't do anything to you!"

Skuntank held the Relic Fragment, and was now closest to the tunnel leading further into the dungeon, "Sorry, but we'll be taking this now! Chaw-haw-haw!"

"Oh, you're that nice team… Eh?" Vulcan's hands nearly fizzled out from hearing him say this.

Skuntank didn't even give him a second look, "Now, I'd love to pulverize you right now, but we've got business exploring the Hidden Land! Chaw-haw-haw!"

Chatot squawked, "W-wait! Wait, please! I'm afraid that I'm not following what's going on here. Why are you even here? We haven't seen any of you from Team Skull since you suddenly disappeared during the expedition! I fretted for your well-being!"

Skuntank smirked, "Worried, huh…? Chaw-haw-haw! You're guild's just full of gullible nincompoops just waiting to be fleeced."

"Oh?! Your demeanor and language seem to be much coarser now!"

I couldn't take any more of this, so I shouted, "Chatot, they were fooling the guild the whole time! The're a bad exploration team! Nothing more than a bunch of crooks!"

"Wha-wha-what?! Is that true?!"

"Whoa-ho! What else?"  
"You'd have to be naive beyond belief to buy it for this long! Heh-heh!"

Skuntank mockingly bowed, "Well, I'd hate to cut this chat short, but we've got the Hidden Land to explore! Let's go, boys!"

Vulcan launched a fireball at them as they ran down, "Cowards!"

He turned to me, "We need to get it back!"

I nodded, and I turned to Chatot. He was livid, to say the least. "Squawk! Those stinking scoundrels… Play me for a fool, will they?! They won't get away with this!" He ran off after them, "I'll show them what it means to trifle with me!"

I tried to get him, "Wait, Chatot-!" But he was already gone. Vulcan hastily wrote in the adventure log and we took off after him.

"I hope he'll be alright without us."

I nodded, "He'll be fine. He's second in command for a reason."

We went through the second half of the dungeon using those camouflage cloaks to stealth our way through. We came to another small chamber near the end of the dungeon, and sure enough, we saw Team Skull on the ground, all beaten up.

Vulcan gasped as we removed our cloaks, "No way… Chatot did this?!"

I shook my head, "No… It was those mysterious attackers, wasn't it…?"

"Whoa-ho… You knew it was coming?" Koffing moaned, "Would've been nice to know that…"

Zubat groaned and added, "Not that you'd tell us… Heh-heh."

Vulcan gasped, "Are you three alright?"

"Chaw-haw-haw… You find us at your mercy… And you're worried how we are? How sickeningly generous can you nitwits be?"

"I'm not about to walk away from others when they need help."

"Chaw-haw-haw… Your concern's wasted on us. We'll be fine. That pompous Chatot… He riled me up enough to keep me going! And here's what he did! That Chatot came along after we got wiped out! When he spotted us down and out… He scolded us with all sorts of choice words… Chaw-haw-haw! After giving us that blistering tongue-lashing, he went on his way. The things he said about us… I'm still seeing red. I'm so steaming that I refuse to give up here. I'm getting out of here if I have to crawl… So I can deliver my payback to that blasted Chatot! But… If you think about it… We were close to giving up. But that Chatot saved us by riling us up! Chaw-haw-haw!"

I nodded, "Even though you say you're fine, you look a little worse for wear. Just sayin'."

"Chaw-haw-haw… We've been bad to you two all this time. You've went through downright rotten times because of us. But… You can still bring yourself to worry about the likes of us?"

Vulcan nodded, "Yes, I can. You have made us furious over this and that, but when we see you down like this… We're not just going to walk away and say, 'good luck'!"

Skuntank chuckled, "Chaw-haw… haw…" his paw slipped from his side, and the relic fragment rolled across the floor.

"Hey! The relic fragment!" Vulcan exclaimed.

"Chaw-haw… oops… How unlike me… Now it's out of my reach… And I can't move yet… You're going to steal it back, aren't you…?"

Vulcan murmured, "Skuntank…"

He scoffed, "I only dropped it by accident. You're free to pick it up. Or not."

"Skuntank… Thanks."

"Hmph. Why thank me? The next time we meet, we're going to be back to our old tricks of messing with you… Besides, you're wasting time being worried about us. You should be worried about Chatot."

I gasped, "That's right! Where did he go?"

Skuntank sighed, "He went deeper, chasing after those enemies… We didn't even see 'em…"

Vulcan picked up his relic fragment, "Thanks. We're going after him. Make sure to get your team out. Don't give up."

"Humph! I'll ask you not to patronize team Skull! Chaw-haw-haw!"

Vulcan and I nodded, and he dropped three oran berries in front of them. Skuntank bristled, but didn't say anything. We walked ahead, and Chatot was standing towards the entrance of a large cavern.

I shouted, "Chatot!"

He turned around, on edge, "Be alert! They are very close by! I saw their retreating figures while I gave chase… But I'd lost sight of them by the time I reached this spot. They must be lurking here somewhere…"

I looked around, and Vulcan lit a will-o-wisp that floated around, illuminating the entire chamber, which were smooth rock walls all the way around.

"Um… Chatot, there's nowhere to hide…"

Vulcan and I walked forward, "I don't see them anywhere…"

Chatot gasped and flew forward, "Vulcan! Connor! Above you!"

I looked up, but before I could react, three shadows were already dropping down. The impact of their landing made Vulcan and I stumble backwards, stunning us.  
"I am Kabutops!" The middle one shouted.

"And the Omastar brothers!" The other two shouted."

Kabutops continued, "All trespassers shall be taught a lesson! Take this!" I closed my eyes, and Vulcan shielded himself with a pillar of flame as I heard the torrent of water. But I didn't feel anything. I opened my eyes, and I saw Chatot in front of me, soaked and bruised, and not moving.

I stood up, "Chatot!"

"Wh-what?!" Kabutops shouted.

Chatot shook in the effort to stay upright, "Urrgghh…! I won't let you get away with this…!"

Kabutops laughed, "How do you like that? That hero shielded his buddies with his body. Not what I'd call smart."

One of the Omastar said, "Hey! I remember him! Kabutops! That big hero's been here before! We knocked him out the same way then, too!"

"That's the second time he's done that? That really takes a whole lot of smarts! Ha ha ha!"

Chatot groaned, unwavering, "Say what you will… They… Are our prized recruits! I won't let you harm them!"

Vulcan teared up, "Chatot…"

"Urrgghh…" Then he fell to the ground, unable to move.

Kabutops laughed again, "Ha ha ha! Now it's your turn! Take THIS!" They tried another combined water attack. Vulcan used flamethrower, but the three of them quickly overpowered him and the torrent sent him flying into the wall. I picked Chatot up and moved him out of harms way, using Ice beam to slow the Kabutops down. When I got him out of the way, I glanced at the attackers, and quickly thought over their types… _rock and water… Not good for Vulcan…_

Sure enough, Vulcan was coughing up water, the two Omastar blasting him relentlessly. I used Ancient Power to entomb Vulcan, shielding him from the torrent as I set Chatot down out of harms' way. I looked around for the Kabutops, but he had vanished while the two Omastar were blasting the stone shield with hydro pump. The barrier wouldn't last much longer, so I slammed the stones into the both of them. Vulcan leapt straight behind the boulders, relentlessly using brick break followed by low sweep, combo-ing up some sick punishment.

For a little while, I thought he was doing great, and ran over to help him before the Kabutops dropped from the ceiling and knocked me back into the wall. When I stood up, the Kabutops' scythe hand was coming straight at me, so I dodged and used Ice ball to roll straight past him and into the Omastar bros., who had overpowered Vulcan by using hydro pump. It didn't do much to damage them, but it diverted their attention away from Vulcan. When I looked at him, a reviver seed had latched onto his throat, and he was coughing up water, sputtering and gagging, but he was still alive. But my attention diverted to the bandits around me. _Well... You've got all three baddies focused on you... What now?_

Kabutops was behind me, and both the Omastars were in front of me, closing in... _Think, Connor... I have to keep them distracted until Vulcan heals up... _

I channeled my energy into the ground directly below me, and I heard the Kabutops chuckle, "You lost. Even with that weakling shielding you... How pathetic."

I heard him leap forward, and I shot myself into the air by using Ancient power to launch myself. I came down with an earthquake attack, knocking them all off balance, and followed up with an ice beam sweep. It froze them over, but they all broke out of the attack after a brief moment. They kept advancing, and I grunted, "Fantastic..."

I thought over the other moves I knew, and I sighed, "Worth a shot..." I activated bide, which made me tense up and stop moving, and the Kabutops tilted his head, "You've finally given up that faint hope...? I'll be sure to make this quick..."

I braced myself for the worst, and I felt the pain of the Kabutops' Scythe pierce my back. He slung me into the wall while his scythe sliced open my back, and my vision went fuzzy. _No... I have to... Stay standing..._

I heard Vulcan shout, "Connor!" I opened my eyes, and an Oran berry was flying straight towards me. I tried to move to catch it, but my bide attack made me stay where I was. It rolled right next to me, and I was powerless to pick it up. The Kabutops kept his eye on me, "Boys... Kill that Charmander. No more holding back."

My eyes widened as he stepped forward, "Hmph... Not going to make a move, huh?" He picked up the Oran Berry, and ate it. "Ah... That's nice... Been awhile since I got to take my time like this..."

He hit me with the blunt end of his Scythe, and I was thrown back into the wall. He kicked me again, knocking the breath out of me, and I felt a tugging sensation in my gut. I felt an unimaginable rush of power and adrenaline course through me as Kabutops kicked me again, which meant that my bide had worn off.

I clamped my mouth around his foot as my pain faded, threw him into the stone wall, froze him with Ice beam, then used rock slide to bring half the wall down on top of him. He stuck his scythe hand through the rubble after a moment, but I used take down, and I heard it snap beneath me. I charged over to the Omastar Bros., not even skipping a beat, but then my bide wore off, and I collapsed to the ground and passed out from the pain as it came rushing back.

**-Vulcan's POV-**

When Connor stiffened up, I was confused a bit as to what he could be doing. When Kabutops impaled him and threw him into the wall, I had tried to get up, but the Reviver seed was still healing me, which meant I had to stay quiet. I forced back a sob as they relentlessly kicked him and beat him. I wanted to cry out so badly... Then, I felt the seed fall off of my neck. I reached into my bag, pulled out an oran berry, and shouted, "Connor!"

It hadn't occurred to me that he couldn't move at all, which meant that he couldn't reach the Oran Berry. Then when Kabutops told his baddies to take care of me, I didn't like my odds against two rock and water types.

I glared at them as they advanced, and the one on the right used hydro pump. I ducked and used smokescreen, obscuring their vision. I followed up with dig, which I learned with a TM while moving through the dungeon, and knocked both of them aside. Then, I heard a rumbling noise, and saw the side of the cave collapse, and I knew that Connor had used rock slide on the Kabutops. The Omastars had regrouped, and both of them lined up in front of me. I used smokescreen again, this time readying brick break. When I leapt out of the black cloud, both of them were looking down at the ground, probably expecting another dig attack. I smashed both of their shells, but they stayed together, if only barely. The Kabutops had broken out of the rubble, and Connor was collapsed, drenched in his own blood, with a Reviver seed on his back, healing the wound. I set my hands ablaze and slammed into the ground, making a wave of fire rush towards them. They all backed away slowly, then looked at me, then ran away.

**-Connor's POV-**

"...Hey!"

"Huh?"

"Get up!"

I opened my eyes, and Vulcan was standing over me, feeding me an oran berry, "Dude, you're sooo lucky we had three reviver seeds."

I stood up, and I saw the entire ground stained red. My body was covered in blood, and I gasped, "What the-?!"

Vulcan nodded, "Dude, you were freaking impaled! _Again!_"

I grunted, "Well... This won't do at all..."

I used water gun, spraying it straight up to wash myself off, and I shook myself dry. Suddenly, Vulcan gasped, "Chatot!"

My focus quickly diverted back to Chatot, now that the pain had subsided, and I saw him still exactly where we left him, no new injuries on him, "Chatot! Are you okay?! We're not going to lose you!"

"Chatot!" I turned, and Wigglytuff was coming in with Grovyle in hot pursuit.

Chatot croaked, "That voice… Guildmaster…"

I looked back and forth, "Guildmaster? And Grovyle too?"

"Guildmaster!" Loudred shouted as everybody rushed in, "WAAH! Grovyle!"

Chimecho jingled with shock, "What's Grovyle doing with the Guildmaster?!"

Wigglytuff said without turning, "I'll explain later! This is more important!" He cradled Chatot in his arms, "Chatot…" Everybody else gathered around to observe.

"Chatot…" Wigglytuff weeped, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Chatot chuckled, "I'm fine… I'm hale and hearty, as you can see…"

"Chatot… I'm so sorry… If I had only gotten here earlier…"

Chatot shook his head weakly, "Please, don't blame yourself, Guildmaster… But… This is so humiliating! Knocked out by the same enemies… Again!"

"That isn't true, Chatot! The last time we came here… You were knocked out right away, Chatot, so you probably don't remember this. But… That time, when Kabutops' gang sprang out at us… You shielded me from attack, Chatot."

"Excuse me…?" Chatot murmured.

"I sent them packing right after that, but if it weren't for you jumping out and shielding me… I would have been knocked out on the spot. I owe my life to you, Chatot."

"That's… What happened?"

"Chatot… You are… my invaluable partner."

"I… I am privileged to hear such words, Guildmaster. I'm… such a happy pokemon…" His head slumped back, and his eyes closed.

Loudred shouted, "WHOA, Chatot!"

"Chatot!" Chimecho cried out.

Grovyle pushed them all back gently, "Everyone, stay calm, for Arceus' sake!" He knelt down to Chatot, who was still being cradled by Wigglytuff, and examined his wounds, "...He'll live. He still has time. Get him back to the guild! Now!"

I nodded, "Right! Let's go!"

"No."

I turned to Wigglytuff, who stood up, "We will take Chatot back to the guild. But as for you, Connor… Vulcan… And you, Grovyle… You two must keep going."

Vulcan tried to argue, "But-"

"Don't worry about us. Besides, if you don't go on from here, then Chatot's sacrifice will have been in vain."

I nodded, and Vulcan hesitantly agreed. Wigglytuff went on, "The pattern is just ahead. Now, hurry."

Grovyle stepped forward, "Thank you, Wigglytuff. We will continue onward. Let's go, you two."

We followed him, and I looked back once more at the guild, a deep thought occurring in the back of my head. I heard Wigglytuff wish us luck as we walked deeper into the cave.

Vulcan asked Grovyle while we were walking, "So how'd you find us?"

Grovyle sped up slightly, "Wigglytuff brought me. He had been looking for me. As soon as he found me, he asked me to go with him. He said that you were close to finding the Hidden Land. It worked out fine, because I planned to join you anyways."

"So that means…"

"That's right. I've collected all the necessary Time Gears."

I smiled, "That's great! Now all we have to do is get to the Hidden Land! So let's find the place with the strange pattern!"

We came into a room where water filled part of the cove, and looking outside, I saw that it was already sunset. I also noticed a strange engraving on the opposite wall, and pointed it out to Vulcan and Grovyle. We all walked over, and Vulcan held up his relic fragment, comparing the patterns. The center of the engraving matched the relic fragment's pattern exactly.

Vulcan smiled, "This is it… This is the same pattern as the Relic Fragment…" Suddenly, it started glowing. Vulcan dropped it out of surprise, and lobbed a fireball at it. Grovyle threw a couple leaf blades, and I looked at them both, "Seriously…?"

Vulcan raised his hands, "It startled me!"  
Grovyle didn't say anything, but he was stifling a chuckle. Then, I looked back at the pattern on the wall. It began pulsing in sync with the relic fragment, then a blinding flash of light emanated from the center of the engraving, firing out to sea.

Grovyle ducked underneath it, then stood up, "What… Was that?" Then, a figure began moving towards the mouth of the cove we were in.

"Forget that. What's coming closer? It seems to be swimming here." Vulcan said as he looked out towards the shape, and as soon as it entered the cove, we could see it clearly. A large blue pokemon with a gray stone shell on its back.

"Connor, Vulcan, and Grovyle… Correct?"

I raised an eyebrow, "You know our names?"

She nodded gently, "Yes. I was informed by Wigglytuff."

"Wigglytuff? That beam of light shot out… you appeared right after that… Who are you?"

"I am Lapras. One of the eleven Temporal Guardians, and guide to the Hidden Land."

Grovyle didn't seem surprised, but Vulcan leapt up, "Seriously?! You can take us to the Hidden Land?

Lapras nodded again, "You unleashed the beam of light from the wall. You have activated the beacon. That is the signal for gaining entry to the Hidden Land. It is beyond even the sea. Step onto my back. I will carry you across the vast ocean. Don't be afraid. My strength is exceptional. I can carry you all and more"

_Beyond the sea… The Hidden Land..._

Vulcan and Grovyle had already climbed aboard, and Grovyle waved me over, "Come on, Connor! To the Hidden Land!"

I nodded, and hopped onto the pokemon's back as she sailed out of the cove and into the night.

* * *

_**Alright, a couple things: 1, I thought of Lapras as a girl, so yeah... She's a girl in my stories. And 2, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I didn't know how to make the Kabutops fight super difficult, but I tried my best. Let me know how I did with a quick Review or PM! I will see you all in the next update!**_

_**-PL**_


	29. Crossing to the Hidden Land

**-Chapter 29: Crossing to the Hidden Land-**

**-Connor's POV-**

While we were crossing the sea, I laid on Lapras' back, alongside Grovyle and Vulcan, looking at the stars glowing in the night sky. Lapras was explaining how she had met Wigglytuff. Back when Wigglytuff and Chatot were first exploring Brine Cave, Lapras had been lingering nearby, protecting the pattern on the wall.

"That Kabutops and his gang attacked them without warning. Chatot reacted first, shielding Wigglytuff, but was knocked out in the process. Wigglytuff easily overpowered them after that. But with his partner knocked out, Wigglytuff began to panic because he didn't know what to do. I stepped in and helped heal the worst of Chatot's wounds."

I nodded, "So that's what happened, huh?"

"Yes. I didn't intend to reveal myself at all, but then I saw who it was, and what was going on. I saw Chatot lying on the ground, and I changed my mind that instant. I simply had to help. Afterwards, I made him promise me something…"

Vulcan stared at her, "What was it?"

"I recognized that Wigglytuff and Chatot were explorers. I couldn't tell what their true intentions were, but I asked them, for the sake of the world's peace, that they not investigate the pattern that was inscribed on the wall. Wigglytuff promised to honor my request, most agreeably. He said he owed me thanks for coming to Chatot's aid, and that he would stop all investigations into the matter."

I raised an eyebrow, "But why didn't you want anybody investigating the pattern?"

"The Hidden Land… Is home to Temporal Tower, where Dialga reigns… Dialga feared that intruders could wreak havoc upon the tower that regulates time itself. Dialga decided to protect Temporal Tower. He hid it in a gap in time."

I tilted my head, "What does that mean?"

"It is hard to explain, but… It is a gap in time itself… It's the space between parts of a split second."

Grovyle nodded, "That explains a lot… A gap in time… No one could ever hope to go to such a place."

Lapras nodded, "As an extra measure, he gathered eleven of the most worthy pokemon from throughout the Temporal Web, granting them a form of immortality, and the ability to traverse time itself. They are known as the Temporal Guardians. I am one of them."

Vulcan sat bolt upright, "Wait, you're immortal?!"

Lapras smiled, "I am immune to the passing of time. I am ageless. But I am able to die by other means. That is why I emphasize 'a form of' immortality."

Vulcan tilted his head, "But… One of eleven? Why such a strange number? Why not make it twelve?"

Lapras laughed almost inaudibly, "I do not know… Perhaps he is waiting for another worthy pokemon…"

I spoke up, "Who are the others?"

Lapras shook her head, "I am not allowed to speak of it to you…"

Vulcan whined, "Why not…?"

"I am forbidden by Dialga."

I shrugged, "Whatever. It doesn't matter that much."

Grovyle leaned forward, "But… How would anyone besides a Temporal Guardian ever hope to find the Hidden Land?"

Lapras turned her head to us, "Dialga left one key for entering the Hidden Land. A special stone fragment with a mysterious pattern etched into it."

Vulcan grasped his relic fragment, "This…?"

"Correct. The night before the guild arrived, Wigglytuff came to Brine Cave, explaining to me the temporal crises, and that the world was in grave peril. He explained that the Time Gears needed to be taken to Temporal Tower in order to stop it. He asked me to reveal how you could could get to the Hidden Land. I already knew of all of this, so I readily explained that the Relic Fragment chooses who goes to the Hidden Land."

Vulcan clutched onto the stone tighter, "But it was a gift from my father… How can I use it?"

"Because it was given to you willingly. Had it been stolen from the original carrier, then the stone would have been rendered useless."

Vulcan stared at the stone like it was the first time he'd laid eyes on it, "It chooses… It chose… me?"

Lapras nodded again, "Yes. You play just as important of a role as your friends in this."

Vulcan sighed, "That's so cool… I never thought that we'd be saving the entire world… Not like this, at least."

Grovyle smiled, "I felt the same way…"

We moved in relative silence for the rest of the night. I don't remember falling asleep, but I awoke to a wave of water crashing over us. Grovyle grabbed both of us, apparently already awake.

"The Wailord breached the water a few meters away…"

Lapras steadied herself, "Are you alright?"

Vulcan nodded, "Yeah. We're fine." I squinted in the sunlight, and saw the sun directly overhead.

_How long was I asleep…? Half a day?_

"Lapras?"

"Yes?"

"You've been swimming for a long time. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Connor. There is no need for concern. Because we're almost there. See? It's coming into view."

I looked forward, and Lapras continued, On the far horizon. Do you see where the sea looks a little different?"

Grovyle looked ahead as well, "I see it… It's true! The waves… The waves are all twisted up!"

"What is that, Lapras?" Vulcan looked a little worried.

"The edge of the gap in time. That is the portal through which we will go to the Hidden Land. Okay! Here we go!" Lapras began speeding up, and Grovyle rooted himself down with ingrain on Lapras' shell. I held on to the stone growth, and Vulcan held on to her neck as she began gradually lifting out of the water, now swimming as fast as Rose did in water, which was really fast.

I looked beneath us at the Wailord breaching the water again, and my jaw dropped, "Lapras! You're flying?!"

Grovyle shook his head while shouldering his wonder bag, "No. That's not it… This… This isn't flying… We're crossing the sea of time!"

Everything flashed white, and purple lightning flashed around us for a moment before a huge landmass appeared beneath us like a page turned in a book, seeming to float on top of the clouds.

Grovyle stared, wide-eyed, "Is that… The Hidden Land?"

"Yes. Although it is probably different than you recall." Lapras glided through the clouds, and descended to the edge of the Hidden Land and turned sideways, allowing us to jump off of her back.

We all looked around, and I stared, awestruck at the land around me, "Th-the Hidden Land…"

Grovyle was equally awestruck, "We finally made it…"

Vulcan just stared in silence. Lapras tilted her head up, "Please… Look ahead."

We followed her gaze and saw a massive, deep blue tower sitting on a hunk of rocks the size of a mountain. The only problem? It was about a mile in the air. Grovyle seemed perplexed, "Is that… Is that perhaps…"

"Yes." Lapras answered. "That is Temporal Tower."

"That's where Dialga is… That's where we have to go. The Time Gears have to be taken there."

Vulcan and I both stared at the massive hunks of rock floating way above the mountains, and Vulcan pointed out something obvious, "Um… How are we supposed to get there? We can't exactly fly."

"You must take the Rainbow Stoneship," Lapras said.

"The Rainbow Stoneship?" Grovyle crossed his arms, "First I've heard of it."

Lapras answered, ignoring the latter comment, "Far ahead you will find the old ruins. There you will find an ancient mystical vessel, the Rainbow Stoneship. It will take you to Temporal Tower."

Vulcan bowed slightly, "Thank you, Lapras."

Grovyle and I followed suit, and Lapras nodded, "This is the extent of what I can do for you. From here, you're on your own. Good luck."

She stayed floating there, and Vulcan tilted his head, "So… Are you going to leave, or…?"

She seemed confused, "Why would I leave?"

He shrugged, "I dunno… It's kinda weird that you'd just... Never mind..."

Lapras smiled, "I will await your return, Vulcan…"

Vulcan nodded, "We'll succeed, Lapras! You can count on us!"

Grovyle seemed bothered by Lapras' statement, but I didn't bother asking about it. Instead, we resupplied at the Kangaskhan storage, making sure to grab all of our reviver seeds, and Vulcan wrote down in our adventure log before we ventured into the forest of the Hidden Land.

I'll tell you what, the enemies there were tough. Leagues ahead of any outlaws we'd faced so far. Vulcan, Grovyle and I had to apply all of our skills, and work as a team. And the weather was killer here. One minute, an Abomasnow would whip up a hailstorm, then after Vulcan lit it up, a Magmortar would use Sunny Day, rendering my water-type moves useless.

And the Manectric. Oh my gosh… I used two reviver seeds by myself because of the 100% accurate Thunder attack thing during rainstorms. I thought having a boost in my attacks would be cool, but not while facing an electric type. Vulcan and Grovyle had to protect me while the reviver seed restarted my heart.

Grovyle didn't have a ton of trouble with most of the pokemon, but the Magmortar and Dragonite, namely, did prove troublesome for him. I took them down with several water gun attacks and Ice beams, respectively.

The Dragonite and Garchomp throughout the dungeon were relatively easy with my Ice Beam and Ice Ball. Their typing was not ideal. We ran into a bit of a wall, both literally and figuratively when three Bastiodon cornered us. They even shrugged off Grovyle's leaf blades like it was no big deal. Grovyle's control of plants was what really saved the day then. He willed the grass to ensnare them, giving us time to flank them and escape.

Vulcan stepped on an invisible trap at some point, which sprayed some purple ooze all over us. I washed us off, but it still stunk for a long while. Then another one dropped giant chestnuts on us from out of nowhere, making a good sized welt on my head.

When we reached the halfway point, we all sat down, exhausted. Vulcan heaved a massive sigh, "Well… Quite a step up from Brine Cave, huh?"

I chuckled, "Too bad we can't bring the team here. This'd toughen them up real quick."

We pulled out the apples we packed, and Vulcan gasped, "What the-?! They're all gunked up!"

I sighed, realizing that the trap from earlier had made them like that, "Well… Crap."

He tossed them into a hole in the ground that opened up into the clouds below, and pulled out three Gummies. A red, green, and blue. He gave one to each of us, and Grovyle was visibly pleased as he popped the green one in his mouth. "Oh, my… What are these?"

Vulcan smiled, "Gummies! Have you never tried one before?"

He shook his head, "I… No. I haven't. They are delicious."

Suddenly, a thought popped into my head, "Hey! Why can't we just use those invisibility cloaks to sneak our way through?"

Grovyle shook his head, "They dissolve upon contact with mass quantities of water. When that wave washed over us while we were sailing across the sea, it dissolved them."

Vulcan sighed, "Well, that sucks."

I shrugged, and opened my backpack, clearing out the plain seeds to make room for more stuff we might find.

Vulcan frowned, "I'd hate to think about the enemies in Temporal Tower… If the enemies here are this tough…"

I shook my head, "Don't think like that. We'll make it through. The world is literally depending on us."

Vulcan pulled himself off of the grass and wrote in the adventure log. He put the book back, and Grovyle and I both followed. We pressed on, moving through the second half of the Hidden Land's forest, which seemed to slope further and further uphill the deeper we went.

After what felt like centuries, we came to the entrance of the Old Ruins Lapras described. We walked into the ruins, and Vulcan ran around, admiring the paintings of the legendary pokemon. "Oh my gosh, there are so many!"

Then he stopped, "But… It stops at Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Where are the rest? Kyurem, Yveltal, Xerneas…?"

"This temple must have been built to honor the first sons." Grovyle said. "Xerneas, Yveltal and Kyurem were birthed long after the original sons of Arceus, which were the ones that created the world as we know it."

Vulcan nodded, "You sure know a lot, Grovyle."

"I had a lot of time to learn. But now that we're here, there's no time to lose. We need to move ahead. The Rainbow Stoneship should be further up."

We followed him through the temple, and came to a massive staircase with intricate carvings etched right into the stone. I was speechless, but Vulcan stammered, "What is this place…?"

Grovyle began walking up the stairs, "I'm not sure… But… I'm guessing that it's the temple of the old ruins."

We followed him up the stairs, and we came to a flat platform with a complex pattern etched into it.

Vulcan glanced at his relic fragment, and held it to the stone. "It's got the same marking as my relic fragment…"

I eyed a stone tablet on the end, and I pointed it out to Grovyle, who quickly walked over to it.

"What's it say, Grovyle?"

"It's inscribed in Unown runes… An ancient language."

Vulcan nodded, "Yeah, but can you read it?"

"I studied this language extensively. I can read it."

Vulcan jumped up, "Awesome! What's it say?"

Grovyle shushed him, "Give me a minute." He stared intently at the markings for a long while before he nodded, "Got it."

He looked at Vulcan's relic fragment, then towards the middle of the platform. I followed his gaze, and saw a hole in the center of the stone, like a chunk of stone was carved out. Grovyle nodded, "It seems that this whole place is the Rainbow Stoneship."

Vulcan gasped, "Huh? This whole place?!"

"That's right. It goes in this indentation…" He ran his hand over the stone, "Put the relic fragment in there. That will activate the Rainbow Stoneship. We can ride it to Temporal Tower. That's what the tablet said."

Vulcan nodded while removing the fragment from around his neck, "Got it… Here goes nothing!"

Before he could step forward, a new voice called out, "That is quite enough."

* * *

**_Well... Great. You guys probably know what's up next, so I decided to cut it off here. I am sad to say that the story is coming to a close, with only a few chapters left... I'm not going to do all that 'it's been fun' stuff until the last chapter. As always, I hope that you all enjoyed! Feel free to leave a quick review or PM if you did, and I will see you in the next update! Much Love!  
-PL_**


	30. New Truths

**-Chapter 30: New Truths-**

**-Connor's POV-**

The voice sent chills down my back, while Grovyle and Vulcan got into battle stances. Suddenly, their shadows elongated, and six Sableye appeared to materialize from the darkness.

Their high pitched laugh creeped me out, but Dusknoir floated up the stairs with a triumphant laugh. "Ha-ha-ha! Hoo-hoo-ha!"

Grovyle growled, "How did you get here?!"

"Hmph. Quite simple, actually. I just had master Dialga warp us here directly. After all, I knew that you would inevitably come here! Waiting here spared us all that effort of having to hunt you down again. Hoo-hoo-ha!"He sneered, "Sadly, that's all over now. You're coming back to the future with me. Sableye, take them to the dimensional hole."

The Sableye laughed and guided us down the stairs, and sure enough, a dimensional hole floated nearby.

Grovyle glanced to us, or more specifically at Vulcan, "Vulcan…"

Vulcan nodded, getting the silent message, and he closed his fists, and erupted into white-hot flames. Grovyle and I both used protect, but the Sableye were now clutching their eyes, shrieking in pain at the blinding light, and I used whirlpool to take care of three of them while they were blinded. Vulcan went to use brick break, but his fists passed through like they weren't there.

"Wha-?!"

"They're ghost types… Normal and fighting moves don't work on them." Grovyle said loathingly.

Vulcan nodded, and set his hands ablaze. The Sableye had now recovered, and eyed him warily. Dusknoir watched silently while we whittled them down one by one, and when we dispatched the last one, he clapped slowly, "Well, well… You display some feeble resistance, knowing that it's futile?" The sableye got up and began nursing their various wounds.

"You expected anything less from me?" Grovyle mocked.

Dusknoir scowled, "Hmph. Very well. You leave me no choice." He waved the Sableye back, "I will defeat you here, then take you back to the future. It makes no difference to me, nor will it matter to Master Dialga!" His stomach mouth opened, and shadows began being pulled in, "The odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. Show me how much resistance you can serve up!"

Vulcan launched a fireball at him, but he melted into a puddle of darkness and vanished. Then, my shadow came out from underneath me, and a giant fist slammed me into Grovyle.

Vulcan launched another volley of fire as Dusknoir solidified, but he swatted them away with ease. Grovyle threw leaf blades at him, which actually stuck into his skin, but he seemed more annoyed than harmed as he pulled them out.

I used Ice beam, but the attack phased through his body like he wasn't there, and froze the rocks behind him.

Grovyle nodded while scowling, and suddenly, he melted into shadows as well. Vulcan looked as shocked as I felt, "What the-?!"

Dusknoir simply disappeared, and suddenly Grovyle was thrown out of the ground like he was shot out of a cannon, and he landed with a sickening crunch next to us.

He stood up, then used bullet seed as Dusknoir rematerialized. The attack was so sudden, Dusknoir actually stumbled backwards, and I rolled into him using Ice ball, knocking him into the wall. He grabbed me with both of his hands before I could retreat, "You should have died long ago... Now I will see you burn!" His hands began superheating, glowing white hot.

At first, it was mildly warm, but it was getting hotter by the second. Grovyle and Vulcan both charged forward, but the Sableye were now up and battling again. I groaned in the pain, unable to break his grip as he began burning my skin.

Grovyle threw a seed bomb at Dusknoir from twenty feet away, and he deflected it with one hand, having to loosen his grip, which gave me enough leverage to break free in that split second. I darted away, using double team to throw him off, and froze the Sableye with Ice beam.

He placed his hand on the ground, and suddenly a shadowy fist dragged me to the floor. Grovyle and Vulcan both tried to pull me up, but another fist slammed them into the stairs next to us.

Dusknoir pummeled me to where I could barely stand, and he looked down at all of us, "Humph… I told you... resistance is futile."

Grovyle leapt onto him, and stabbed him in the gut with two leaf blades. He stared blankly, then he dissolved like sand.

Grovyle looked around, but suddenly Dusknoir appeared behind me, and threw me into him. Vulcan tried to use flamethrower, but he erected a barrier of darkness that snuffed out the flames. He turned to us, "You two… You have been two of the most troublesome beings in my life… I am sick of you two escaping my grasp when you are so close. So I will finish you here. Whether you're dead or alive will not matter to Master Dialga!"

The dark barrier of energy solidified, cutting Vulcan and the Sableye off from us as Dusknoir opened his stomach mouth, sucking in shadows around us, condensing it into a single sphere. He gloated, "You've done admirably well for those as pitiful as you… But it's all over now. This is the end… For you!" He laughed maniacally as he continued condensing the shadows.

Grovyle grunted, lying down next to me, "This is it… Connor… I'm sorry… That it has to end like this."

He extended his hand, and I took it, staring into his eyes, "We've failed… The planet will be paralyzed..."

Grovyle's leaf hair was being pulled in as well, and my eyes widened as I realized what was happening, "Throw a seed bomb into his stomach!"

He observed the vortex forming, sucking in debris around us, and nodded. He pulled one off of his arm, and threw it with all his might.

I watched as Dusknoir gasped, and hunched over as the seed bomb hit the shadow ball forming and knocked it back into his stomach. His stomach swelled as it closed, containing the explosion. The dark barrier lowered, and Vulcan dashed towards Dusknoir, landing a fiery uppercut to his face.

Dusknoir toppled over, and tried to dodge, but his belly was a dark black, not grey like it usually was. Every time he tried to move quickly, he clutched his stomach, wincing. Before long, Vulcan singlehandedly beat him down. He growled for a bit before falling to the ground, not moving.

Grovyle managed to pull out an oran berry and stand up, as well as feed me one. I got to my feet, and the Sableye gasped, "Master Dusknoir's been defeated! Waaaah!" They jumped into the dimensional hole, disappearing.

Grovyle smirked, "It looks like you have trouble finding dependable allies, Dusknoir."

Grovyle leaned against the wall, and began sprouting roots from his body that dug into the soil. I watched as his wounds healed and his eyes got their spark of intensity back.

He gasped, "Much better…" He pulled himself off of the wall, and I ate another oran berry.

Vulcan looked fine, and sighed, "We… We did it…"

Grovyle was still breathing heavily, "We… We did..."

Vulcan smiled, then Grovyle said, "Go fit the relic fragment into the hole up top. See if the Rainbow Stoneship still works."

Vulcan nodded, "You got it!" And took off up the stairs.

Dusknoir groaned, and Grovyle pinned him down with vines while readying two leaf blades, "Don't move!"

Dusknoir looked at us, "Grovyle… Connor… Is this really what you want…?"

I tilted my head, "What do you-"

"Shut up." Grovyle commanded to Dusknoir, keeping his leaf blades ready. But I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Grovyle… What is he talking about?"

Grovyle shook his head, and Dusknoir chuckled weakly, "You mean he hasn't told you…? How pitiful…"

I raised an eyebrow, and he sighed, "If you go through with this… All pokemon of the future… Will disappear. Be erased from history."

My eyes widened, and I turned to Grovyle, who had tears in his eyes.

Dusknoir continued, "And not just me… Both of you, Connor and Grovyle alike, the entire insurgo… Grovyle… your precious Celebi. You will all disappear, since you're tethered to a timeline that ceases to exist. Is that really what you want?"

I looked at Grovyle, and asked, "Is that true?"

The look in his eyes told me even before he spoke, "Y-yes… It is… True. We will disappear if we change history, Connor…"

I gasped, and Grovyle continued, "But… It doesn't matter… If it means restoring time… and bring peace to the world! It's what I came to the past to do… As well as you. Celebi, my father, the entire insurgo… They all helped us, and devoted their lives to that cause, knowing that they would disappear if we succeeded."

I recalled what Celebi had said in Dusk Forest. _**My dear Grovyle, I will devote my whole life to achieve that end.**_

_That's what she meant... Her whole life... She helped us, knowing that if we succeeded, she'd disappear._

Then what Lapras said… _**I will await your return, Vulcan.**_ She didn't say my name or Grovyle's… She already knew that we weren't coming back, one way or another.

Grovyle's words snapped me out of my thought, "And Connor… You were the leader of the entire resistance… The one that had the most resolve to change history. You came to this world with that resolve… Knowing the way you are now, you probably don't remember that resolve. I know this might come as a shock to you, but… We don't really have a choice in the matter either way… If we don't act, then time will be destroyed! The planet's paralysis will take hold… To bring peace to this world… We have to disappear. Try to understand… Please…"

I murmured, "I came to… This world with the resolve… Knowing that if we succeeded, then we would disappear…? But…" I spoke louder, "If we don't act, then the planet's paralysis will begin! That means… We have to. Even if I disappear…"

Grovyle looked at me sadly, "But… There was one thing… One thing that changed for us by coming here. It's true we had a resolve to complete our mission. We started with that when we came back to this world… But we had nothing to lose. Nobody would be sad that we were gone, because they would all be as well. They all knew that. We had nothing to go back to either way. But for you… This changed for you when you became a pokemon. You found a partner and friend in Vulcan… You two are very close. If he found out that you would disappear… He would be crushed. Vulcan has a good spirit, but if you were to disappear… Your partner… Vulcan… Will be left all alone."

I looked past Grovyle to where Vulcan had climbed the stairs, and I saw a blue light emanating from the top of the temple. Grovyle moved forward slightly, "Vulcan's done it! The Rainbow Stoneship's been activated!"

While Grovyle was distracted, Dusknoir reared up and used shadow punch, phasing through the vines and knocking me back. "I won't… You'll never change history!" He followed up with another shadow punch, but Grovyle intercepted, taking the hit directly. He tumbled into me, groaning in pain, and Dusknoir growled, "You shielded Connor, Grovyle? That's taken a heavy toll on you! Very well. I'll take you down first!"

Grovyle forced himself to his feet and extended two vine whips from his wrists, elongating them. And with a fierce roar, he knocked Dusknoir over and bound his hands with the vine, grappled him, and began pushing him towards the dimensional hole.

I shouted out, "Grovyle!"

Dusknoir growled while trying to struggle free, "Wh-what are you doing?!"

Grovyle smiled with a pain in his eyes, "Dusknoir… I'm taking you back to the future. With me."

His eye widened, and even though he was triple Grovyle's size, the grass-type managed to hold on, and he turned his head to me, "Connor! It's all up to you now!" He sprouted a single thorn on his shoulder, and the second bag's strap cut in half. In that small bag, five Time Gears poured out onto the ground.

Dusknoir gasped, "Gah! Those are-?!"

"The Time Gears?! But Grovyle-!"

I heard Vulcan come down, "Alright, the Rainbow Stoneship's ready to go!" Then he saw what was going on, "Grovyle?!"

Grovyle turned his head to face him, "Vulcan! This is it for me! I'm taking Dusknoir back… To the future! I can never come here again. You have to watch Connor's back... Promise me!"

Vulcan nodded, "I-I promise… But Grovyle… Take your place?! I can't!"

"You can, and you will, Vulcan! You two… Are the greatest of combinations…"

Dusknoir began struggling harder, and Grovyle strained to keep him contained as he bellowed, "Groooh! Unhand me this instant!"

Grovyle shook his head, "Quiet. We're almost there."

Grovyle looked back to me, "Connor… Take care, my friend. I was lucky to have known you. Though the parting hurts… The rest is in your hands!"

I cried out, tears streaking my face, "Grovyle, no!"

He turned back to Dusknoir, whose face was mere inches from the portal, "Sorry for the holdup, Dusknoir!" He lunged forward, and was gone. All I could do was fall to the ground and weep as the dimensional hole closed.

"G-Grovyle…"

Vulcan walked over to the bag and retied the straps as the sound of the Rainbow Stoneship got louder and louder. His arms were shaking, and he had tears in his eyes, but he turned to me, "Connor…"

I nodded and sniffed, "I know… We need to hurry, or the Rainbow Stoneship will leave without us…"

Vulcan nodded, "We have to make it, or Grovyle's sacrifice will have meant nothing… But no matter what… We will succeed! We will save the world, no matter the costs!"

I sighed inaudibly, a fresh wave of tears swelling up. _If only he knew… What Dusknoir said… That Grovyle and I… Everyone from the future… Would disappear if history is changed…_

"Hey, Connor… The last thing that Grovyle said… The parting hurts… I wouldn't know a lot about it, but since you two were best friends… It must have been hard… If I lost you…" His eyes teared up, but he stopped himself.

_That may have been what he meant… No, that isn't it. Grovyle's last words… They weren't about me and Grovyle… They were about Me and Vulcan... Grovyle said what he did… Because he knew that I'd have to leave Vulcan history is changed... I will disappear. My time with Vulcan is coming to an end… This is our last adventure._

Vulcan regained his composure, "Come on, Connor! We'll do this! We'll make it to Temporal Tower and fix it!"

We climbed up the stairs, and the Rainbow Stoneship's hums made my head rattle now. We stepped onto the center of the platform, and it raised out of the stone, and took off towards Temporal Tower, leaving a perfect rainbow in its wake.

Vulcan turned to me, "We're on the home stretch, Connor! Let's do this!" I nodded solemnly as Temporal Tower came into view through the clouds, and we flew ever-closer.

* * *

_**The Dusknoir fight! It took me a couple tries to get it just right, but let me know how I did with a quick Review or PM! Also, the poll is closed; I will do a sequel to Firestorm Origins. Anywho, hope you enjoyed, and I will see you all in the next update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	31. The Final Test

**-Chapter 31: The Final Test-**

**-Connor's POV-**

The rainbow faded and the stoneship came to a rumbling halt as we stepped off of it and onto the floating path of rocks leading to Temporal Tower. That thing was huge, too… Like, at least a half a mile tall huge. Then Vulcan pointed to the top, "Connor, look at that!"

I saw what he meant: A massive vortex of red clouds, with lightning streaking everywhere.

Vulcan's hands smoked, "We need to move. Every second counts now!"

As we moved forward, I started hearing a faint noise in the back of my head, like a ticking noise.

*Tick* *Tick* *Tick* Vulcan perked up, so I knew that he heard it too.

As we moved even closer, Vulcan began counting, "1… 2… 3…" Then he nodded, "Seconds… The tick sounds pass every second, like a clock."

We moved to the entrance, every second ticking by, and up close, I could see how Dialga liked the place. The entrance was thirty feet high, easily big enough for him to walk through. It loomed over us, and I saw a single staircase directly ahead, leading into midair.

I shook my head, "You think I could just use ancient power to lift us to the top…?"

Suddenly, a tremor shook us, knocking Vulcan off of his feet, and making me struggle to stay balanced.

I laughed skittishly, "Heh. Nope."

Vulcan crossed his arms, "It looks like it's almost collapsed. It can't be far from it. We need to get those Time Gears to the top, pronto!"

Vulcan restocked our wonder bags with a plethora of items and seeds, as well as a new item; Silver spikes. I didn't recall collecting them, but whatever. Vulcan figured out that he could light them on fire, like flaming spikes and throw them. They went faster than fireballs, and were nearly impossible to deflect.

He wrote in the adventure log, and we both went to the stairway into the mystery dungeon, nodding to each other as we walked in, every second ticking by in my ears.

We tried to be as quick as possible, but the pokemon here weren't making it easy. Like, at all. The Rock types were troublesome to Vulcan, especially since his brick break was negated by their psychic typing. I didn't have much trouble, helping out Vulcan against the Solrock and Lunatone. But they kept using sunny day, negating my water-type moves. And I couldn't use Ancient Power, arguably my favorite move, because Temporal Tower was almost collapsed, and using moves like that would probably be bad.

After a ton of fighting our way up and one reviver seed used after a power gem attack on Vulcan, we made it to the waypoint. We both practically collapsed, and Vulcan sighed, "This… Is hard…"

I nodded, "You're tellin' me…"

We stayed down for a few minutes, because we both felt like we made good time up the tower. Vulcan got up, wrote down in the adventure log, and helped me up, "Come on, Connor. We've got to move…"

I nodded, "I know…" I pushed myself up and walked forward, my legs screaming at me to rest, but I had to press on. When we reached the entrance to the next half, another quake, even more powerful than the last shook both of us off of our feet.

Vulcan sighed, "It's getting worse… No more resting… We have to tough it out…"

Another quake shook the ground, as if to prove Vulcan's point, and he nodded, "Let's go…"

We both nodded, and went on. The second half of the tower had evolved forms of the enemies below. And Porygon-Z everywhere. After the second one we encountered knocked me out with its discharge attack, we decided to stay low and sneak our way through.

Of course, it was easier said than done, mostly because Vulcan's tail acted like a beacon to enemies. The Salamence were easy with my Ice beam attack, and along the way Vulcan learned heat wave, which basically turned the room into an oven, dealing tons of damage to all the enemies in there. His fireproof aura protected me from its effects, which was cool. That move probably saved us at least a dozen times. We had to save our oran berries for emergencies only. We had to rely on our natural healing factor to make it through right now.

Vulcan found a TM along the way, although I didn't see what it was before he used it. After a while, we came to the last set of stairs, which were guarded by a monster house. Vulcan threw down a petrify orb, and we each ate an oran berry to start running to the top.

When we reached the top, Vulcan looked around at the open-air roof with pillars of stone all around us, and the very air reeked with tension, "This literally smells like a trap…"

A bolt of lightning decimated a stone pillar directly next to us, and we both looked up. Lightning was now streaking out of the storm clouds every second. Another quake nearly knocked us over, and Vulcan grunted, "Trap or not, we need to go!"

We took a few steps forward, and saw a sort of shrine on a raised platform on the opposite end of the clearing. We moved to it, and I saw five holes gouged out of a round stone, flashing red like a warning light or something.

Vulcan nodded, "That's where we need to put them…" He took a step forward, and a bolt of lightning exploded right in front of us, knocking us halfway back across the clearing. The entire area went dark, and a deep, powerful voice growled before bellowing, "SO… IT IS YOU! YOU SEEK THE DESTRUCTION OF TEMPORAL TOWER!"

I looked around nervously, and Vulcan gasped, "That can only be one pokemon..."

I looked around, blindly shouting, "Wait! That's not it! We're here to help restore time!"

"TIME… STOPPING… TIME…" The voice roared again before Dialga appeared in a flash of light.

Dialga roared again, and let me tell you, I've never felt more helpless as he towered above us. "YOU! YOU DARE BRING RUIN TO THE TOWER?!"

Vulcan stepped forward, "No, we're trying to save it from falling apart-"

"SILENCE!" Dialga bellowed before letting out another roar. "TO THOSE THAT THREATEN TEMPORAL TOWER… I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!"

Vulcan grunted, "It's no good…"

I nodded, "But he can still talk! He can't do that in the future, can he?!"

Dialga took one step forward, closing half the distance between us in one bound and cracking the stone beneath his steel-covered feet.

"I don't know, but here he comes!"

Dialga charged forward, claws glowing as he readied dragon claw. Vulcan threw a stun seed at it, and Dialga froze in place after it stuck to his neck. We both took up positions to his sides, and Vulcan opened up with a flamethrower attack, melting the side of Dialga's armor. His skin was charred, but he retaliated with ancient power after the seed fell off, smacking Vulcan with the boulders and almost causing him to fall off the top of the tower.

I used Ice Beam, freezing Dialga's foot to the ground, but he shattered the casing with little effort. Vulcan used flame charge to get a speed boost as he leapt onto Dialga's side and began climbing. Dialga roared and rolled, nearly flattening both of us, but I used protect to shield myself as Vulcan fired two flamethrowers from his hands to get some extra jump height as he kicked off of Dialga's face.

I used ancient power to smack Dialga's face again, but his steel armor didn't even get dented. He righted himself, and Vulcan used fire punch on Dialga's leg. Dialga used dragon claw do bat Vulcan aside like a rag doll, and he turned to me, readying metal claw.

I blocked by using protect again, and the force of his foot on top of me cratered the stone around me. I lashed out with a hydro pump, catching Dialga off guard, causing him to rear up and topple backwards.

Vulcan leapt onto its face and used flamethrower at point blank range, but it shook him off and nearly flattened him with a stomp. Vulcan turned _into _a fireball, just like the fight with the illusory Groudon. He floated away and resolidified next to me. I said, "We need to hit him with everything we've got!"

Vulcan's shoulders dropped, "That was everything..."

I shook my head as Dialga began charging up some attack. The diamond on his chest glowed, and the tail thing on his back grew larger as a ball of purple energy condensed in Dialga's mouth. "We can't give up! We have to do this, Vulcan! Everyone's counting on us!"

Vulcan nodded charged forward with flame charge again, and Dialga knocked him aside with Dragon claw, the energy ball in his mouth still growing larger.

I felt time being distorted around me from the attack, and I shouted, "Vulcan! That attack's going to hit hard!"

He nodded and bellowed a flamethrower towards Dialga's face. But the attack was still charging.

"Vulcan! Get behind me!"

He shook his head from the other side of Dialga, "No time! Throw up protect!"

"What about you?!"

"Don't worry about me, man! I can take care of myself!"

I threw up protect as multiple shock waves shot out, distorting the fabric of time itself. It pressed against the blue barrier, which actually cracked from the pressure, and it took all of my energy to keep the shield up. I gasped from the strain, and when I looked at Vulcan, he was on the ground, two burned up substitute clones on top of him.

When the attack stopped, Dialga was quivering, growling weakly from the aftershock of the attack, unable to move.

I took that opening to use Ice Beam, and I shouted, "Vulcan! Come on!"

Behind me, the two substitute clones vanished, and he struggled to sit up, "No can do… Take him down, Connor!" Then he passed out, and a reviver seed floated from his bag and latched onto his chest.

I rolled forward after using Ice Ball, and I rammed into his foot. I slammed the pillars into Dialga with Ancient Power, and he toppled over. I floated up on a boulder and used mud bomb at point blank range. The steel armor on his back rusted and cracked instantaneously, and I slammed into it with take down.

It shattered, and my attack connected with his skin. He shook me off, and I used Ice Ball to roll forward again. Dialga raised his foot, preparing to stomp me, but I used protect again. Dialga was caught off balance, and I heaved the ground up from underneath him with Ancient Power, knocking him over. Vulcan walked up next to me and wheezed, "Launch another volley of rocks…"

I complied, and he opened his mouth as I threw more boulders at the Lord of Time. He bellowed a flamethrower, and the stones turned to molten and slung onto Dialga. He roared and charged towards us, molten stone dripping off of him, but I used Ice beam to resolidify the stone, encasing him in a layer of rock. I coughed, "Did… Did we do it?"

The stone glowed and shattered, and Dialga charged forward again. "I spoke too soon…"

He readied a Dragon Claw, and Vulcan met it with his own. Vulcan gritted his teeth in the effort to stay standing, and I used Ice Beam to throw Dialga off. Dialga was on the ground, and Vulcan followed up with another flamethrower, then dashed forward, the reviver seed still on him, and bit down with fire fang. Dialga roared weakly, stood up, and began charging another roar of time. I grunted, "Vulcan!"

"I'm coming!"

He used flame charge to dash behind me, and I threw up another protect barrier as the shock waves pulsed around us. Vulcan dashed forward once the attack was over and used fire punch. Dialga collapsed to the ground, and growled weakly before his head dropped and he was down.

I gasped, "We… We did it… We beat Dialga…"

Vulcan scooped up the Time Gears' bag, which had been thrown off when Vulcan was slung around. We took off to the stairs, and Vulcan said, "We have to put them in the slots!" We felt another tremor, the worst one yet, and it took all of my balance to stay upright. Vulcan was barely crawling, and a fissure opened up behind us. We pressed on, and Vulcan grabbed two of the Time Gears, and managed to place them in the top two slots. I placed the other three in the lower ones.

Vulcan smiled weakly, "We… We did it!"

The pattern turned from red to green, the tablet whole again. But suddenly the floor heaved, throwing us back down the stairs. The tremors got worse and worse.

Vulcan growled, "Wh-what… No! We put them in! That should stop it!"

I shook my head, "No… Were we… Too late?" Lightning began striking all around us, explosions causing rubble to rain from the sky. Then I suddenly lost consciousness.

When I came to, there was a bright white light, then my eyes snapped wide open. I stood up, looking around. Temporal Tower… It was just like it was when I blacked out. I ran to Vulcan, and I saw a plain seed next to him, and he was breathing normally. I let out a sigh of relief, and shook him awake. He murmured, "No… I don't… You'll never…"

I shook him harder, and he shot awake, "Whoa!" He looked around, "We're… Still here?"

"THIS… IS TEMPORAL TOWER."

We both turned, and Dialga was standing again. We both shouted in astonishment and backed up a bit, and he chuckled, a deep, powerful voice that seemed to slow down time, "YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR ALARM. I HAVE REGAINED MY REASON."

As he said that, I realized that his skin had become a lighter shade of blue, and the red veins had become as blue as the Crystal Cave. Vulcan and I both walked a bit closer, and he said, "TEMPORAL TOWER HAS TAKEN HEAVY DAMAGE… BUT IT HAS SURVIVED. NOW, OBSERVE."

His chest gem gleamed white, and suddenly we were standing in a green, luscious forest.

I heard Vulcan say, "He must be using telepathy to show us this."

I looked around, and noticed something. "This… This is Treeshroud Forest! Time is moving again! We did it, Vulcan!"

Then, we were floating above Treasure Town. The entire Guild was out and about, bustling and laughing. I smiled, "Everyone's okay… I'm so glad…"

Then, we were looking over the Hidden Land. It looked worse for wear, and Temporal Tower looked like a stack of Jenga blocks with half of them missing, but it was still standing.

Vulcan grinned, "Temporal Tower! It looks pretty bad, but we saved it! We did it, Connor!"

Then, we were standing on Temporal Tower again. Dialga spoke, "TEMPORAL TOWER SURVIVED THE CRISES. TIME HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL HERE… AND THUS, TIME HAS RESUMED IN PLACES WHERE IT HAD STOPPED. BECAUSE YOU STOPPED THE RUIN OF TEMPORAL TOWER… THE PLANET'S PARALYSIS HAS BEEN PREVENTED. THE WORLD'S PEACE… HAS BEEN RESTORED."

Vulcan looked like he was about to explode from joy, "W-we did it… Connor, we saved the world! It's like one of those corny stories that you read, but it really happened!"

I smiled, and Dialga said, "ALLOW ME TO THANK YOU… I THANK YOU FOR REACHING THE HIDDEN LAND. YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO STAND UP TO ME, EVEN AS I RAGED OUT OF CONTROL… AND YOU PREVENTED THE RUIN OF TEMPORAL TOWER IN THE NICK OF TIME. FOR ALL OF THIS, I THANK YOU… ALL OF THIS, I OWE TO YOU."

Vulcan smiled, "W-well… Thank you! I never thought that I'd be getting thanked by a son of Arceus…"

Dialga smiled, then looked to me for a brief moment with a barely comprehensible nod, and I knew what it meant as he continued, "BUT NOT ALL IS AS IT SHOULD BE. IT WILL TAKE TIME… I MUST SEE TO THE REPAIR OF TEMPORAL TOWER." He looked down the pathway by turning to the left, "THE HIDDEN LAND, TOO, HAS BEEN RAVAGED… BUT THE RAINBOW STONESHIP SHOULD STILL BE OPERABLE. AND LAPRAS SHOULD BE AWAITING YOUR RETURN."

Vulcan smiled, then began climbing back down, "Come on, Connor! Let's go home!"

* * *

_**It's almost over... The last chapter is imminent... Anywho, that was the Dialga fight! It was pretty fun to type up. In fact, all of these big fight scenes are fun to make! Let me know how I did with the battle with a quick Review or PM, and I will see you in the final update! Much Love!**_

_**-PL**_


	32. I Don't Want to Say Goodbye

**-Chapter 32: I Don't Want to Say Goodbye-**

**-Connor's POV-**

We made it down Temporal Tower with little effort, mostly because Dialga had granted us safe passage after we left. When we reached the bottom, we started walking on the stone path to the Rainbow Stoneship. But with each and every step, I found my legs harder and harder to move, like I was carrying the sky on my shoulders. Vulcan looked back at me, "What's wrong, Connor? Let's get a move on!"

I nodded, and used all of my strength to move faster. But my body just sunk to the ground, like gravity was tenfolded on top of me. Another tremor shook the path, and we both let out startled shouts. Vulcan looked back, "Temporal Tower must be readjusting. It's fine."

He turned back around, then I saw a small orb of light float past my face. I gasped, catching Vulcan's attention, and saw that they came from the soles of my feet.

My eyes teared up, _Alright… Now… It's time… My time with Vulcan… It ends now._

Vulcan eyed the orbs that now floated off of my skin more numerously, "Connor… What's wrong? What's with the lights?"

I sighed, "Vulcan… I'm so sorry… I kept this to myself for a long while… It looks like… I have to say goodbye."

Vulcan's eyes widened, "Goodbye?! Wh-what do you mean?"

"Dusknoir and Grovyle both told me… That if we change the future… Then the pokemon of that future, as well as me…" I choked back a sob, "Will disappear."

Vulcan shook his head, "What?! No, no, no, no, no... You can't just..." Then he pushed past me and started back towards temporal Tower. I turned my head, "Where are you going?"

"To get the Time Gears! I won't let you disappear!"

I shook my head, "No, Vulcan… This has to happen."

He turned to me, "Why?! I don't understand!"

I choked back a sob, "I don't understand, either… Thank you... for everything, Vulcan… My time is up…"

Vulcan shook his head, "W-wait a minute! I only made it this far because you were with me, Connor! Don't you understand? You made me strong! If you go… I-I don't know… What I would…"

I sobbed, tears now streaming down my face, "No, Vulcan! You have to be strong on your own. You have to live! You have to go home. Tell everyone what happened here… So that nothing like this will ever happen again."

Vulcan's tail burned white hot, "No! You can't leave me! Not after everything we've been through! It's not fair! What's the point in saving the world if we don't both live to tell the story?! How am I supposed to go on by myself?!"

I smiled warmly, "Vulcan... I'm glad to have met you. I'm glad that we trained at the guild. I'm glad that we got to go on adventures together..."

Vulcan shouted, tears streaking down his cheeks, "Don't go! Please!"

I sniffed, "I'm sorry, Vulcan… I am so lucky to call you my friend… And I am proud to call you my brother."

He nodded, "I feel the same way! To me, Connor… You're… More important than anything…"

I chuckled heavily, "Yes… I feel the same way…" I met his eyes, "Vulcan… Even after I disappear from here… I won't forget you... Goodbye, my brother…"

Vulcan reached forward, and his hand phased through my own as the orbs began shooting off even more numerously, "How can I say goodbye to the closest thing I've ever had to family?! How?! It's not fair! I don't want to say goodbye, Connor!"

As he said this, my wonder bag phased through me, my stamina band coming off of my head fin, and I smiled, making sure that his last memory of me was one that was of me smiling, "Vulcan… Promise me that you will make it back…"

He nodded, wiping his eyes, "I-I promise…"

He rushed forward, hugging me as my front legs disappeared, turning into the orbs of light, then the rest of my body. The last thing I remember was Vulcan's cries, and my badge falling to the floor with a clink.

**-Vulcan's POV-**

I hugged him so tightly, knowing that this was my last moment with him. I fell through his translucent image, "Connor… No…"

_He's… Gone…_

I fell to my knees, now letting the rest of my tears out. I looked into the sky, "It's not fair! Gah!" I launched an inferno of fire into the air, reaching even higher than Temporal Tower.

I collapsed onto the ground completely, weeping. I don't know how long I was there, but I didn't want to move. Moving, to me, would mean that I was accepting that he wasn't coming back…

I looked at the badge, band, and bag, "This is all that's left… These items deserve to be put somewhere where they will be seen…" I tied the stamina band around my upper arm, and pinned the badge to it.

I murmured, "I have to make it… I have to get home alive… And tell everyone what happened… I promised Connor…"

I stood up, and looked at the ground where he had been one last time before I began walking, shouldering two bags and two badges, for a fallen teammate.

I tripped over a small stone on the way there, but I picked myself up, willing myself to carry on. I made it back to the Rainbow Stoneship, and I whispered, "Connor…"

It started to rumble and move, and when it took off, I stared at the stone path, crying some more. "Temporal Tower… Is getting further and further away…" I sobbed, "That means… Connor… Is getting further away…"

The stoneship landed in the old ruins, and I made my way across the ravaged Hidden Land. When I reached Lapras, she simply gave me a ride back in silence, dropping me off at the beach near Treasure Town.

Making my way up to the guild, I stepped on the grate, and everyone tackled me with hugs after the gate opened. Wigglytuff and Chatot both came out, and greeted me. Wigglytuff tilted his head, "And… Connor?"

A fresh wave of tears found their way to my eyes, "I'll tell you inside…"

After we all went to the briefing room, I explained everything. How Grovyle, Connor and I were reunited after the fight with Dusknoir, Grovyle's sacrifice to give us a chance to change the world, our journey across the whole Hidden Land, Temporal Tower, our fight against Dialga… And what happened to Connor.

"...And he told me to make sure that everyone knew the story, so that nothing like this will happen again. We saved the world, and peace should be returning."

The guild nodded, and after everyone gave their words of consolation, we went to bed. I left Connor's backpack on his bed.

I got the next couple days off, thank goodness, so I used that time to spread the story even further, to everyone I saw on the road. I walked halfway across immanis and back almost every day. After a little while, not one pokemon hadn't heard the story.

We held a formal funeral for him a few days afterwards, almost all of Treasure Town attending, and many others from around Immanis. We must have made a name for ourselves without even realizing. Wigglytuff handed me the shroud. A deep blue cloth with a Time Gear and the marks on Grovyle's arms underneath it woven into the fabric. At the very bottom, two names were sewn in gold, and two titles:

Connor and Grovyle

Heroes from the future

Team Firestorm

I wiped the tears from my eyes, and the entire team got to hold it as one. Vincent and Atlas got to hold the head of it, since they'd been with us the longest. I tapped it with a small ember on my finger, and it burst into flames, scattering golden powder that dissolved in the air like magic.

The entire town dispersed after a long while, and I stood there, staring at the stone tablet with Connor's name engraved into it, next to a tablet with Grovyle's name. The team looked bummed out, so I did my best to lift their spirits, "Hey, don't worry. We don't have to forget him. He'd want us to keep capturing outlaws like we always did.

Rose sniffed, and Magnus just scowled. The rest of the team was crying openly, even Atlas and Nocturne.

Things started to slowly go back to normal. Time began stabilizing, and Treasure Town returned to its usual bustle. The team and I began carrying on our missions. We raised another rank, now being diamond, and I held Connor's badge next to mine, "We did it, Connor… We raised another rank."

Over the next few months, the team and I had been helping Team Core in the investigation of some pokemon Mafia Group. They'd talked about it several times, but after Atlas and Vincent both found out that one of the leaders was a Bisharp, they were eager to help.

We didn't make much headway, mostly because law enforcement denied the existence of the group, even when brought evidence, such as proof that two more of their leaders were a Houndoom and Crobat.

We didn't get that, but after a few months of no progress, we decided to get back to doing missions, to keep putting our name out there.

Maybe Five months after Connor disappeared, I was walking down to the beach. I ran into Bidoof, "Howdy, Vulcan! Going out?"

I nodded, "Yup. Going for a walk."

"Sounds nice, yup yup! But dinner will be on soon. You don't want to miss that!"

I smiled, "You got that right. I'll be there."

I walked to the beach, and sat down in the sand as the Krabby gently blew bubbles, making a rainbow web of light reflecting the dying sunlight. I smiled, "Wow… This sight…" As I thought about it, I hadn't come to the beach for fun in a long time…

"I think… The last time I was here… When I saw this last… Was when I met Connor…"

I looked over to the crater in the sand where he had heaved the boulder from the ground, surprised that it was still there. "When I met him… It was almost exactly like this…"

Thinking back to that brought up a lot of memories. How we began, how he'd helped me overcome my fear of hurting others surprisingly quickly… I looked at the stamina band on my arm, with the badge pinned on top.

_**My name is Connor…**_

_**How about we make an exploration team? You and me? We worked really well together beating Koffing and Zubat, so what do you think? Please?**_

_**How about… Team Firestorm?**_

_**Ha! That Stamina band 'round your neck, and you're still just as hungry as me! I guess we were so focused on rescuing Azurill that we didn't notice! Come on, let's go eat!**_

_**You were right, Connor! A cave! Let's explore!**_

_**Do what we have to. We have to hit this pokemon with everything we've got!**_

_**It's beautiful… All the lights illuminating from the water... How can such a huge lake be at the top of a plateau?**_

_**Vulcan… Hear me out. I know that we're both super confused about what just happened, having the sudden identity switch with Dusknoir from good to bad, but we need to focus! As of now, we will die if we get caught. And from the looks of it, Grovyle already has an idea of where he's going.**_

_**Hey, Rose, he's cool. Now, tell us what's been happening concerning the Time Gears. **_

_**Come on, Connor! We'll do this! We'll make it to Temporal Tower and fix it!**_

I teared up at those memories, even though they were all happy ones. But they were just memories… And there was nothing I could do to change it…

_Connor's gone…_

I began shivering, trembling from a sudden wave of sadness that washed over me. I looked back at the crater again, and tears found their way down my face against my will. I sniffed once and sat down in the sand, lobbing fireballs into the ocean to let out my anger.

I heard footsteps to my right, and Bidoof said, "Vulcan? You've been gone for a long while. I was getting worried! What's wrong…? Why are you crying?"

I shook my head, "Naw, I just got sand in my eyes…"

Even then, the tears just kept coming, and I stood up, "Bidoof…" I gave him a massive hug, needing the reassurance that somebody was there… "Bidoof, Bidoof!" I wept, tears streaking my face.

**-Dialga's POV-**

As the Porygon-Z repaired my home, I watched the hero who saved me from myself, using telepathy to watch from the Bidoof's perspective.

"VULCAN… WHEN YOU LEFT HERE… WHEN YOU BID FAREWELL TO THIS PLACE FROM THE RAINBOW STONESHIP… YOUR SORROW… I FELT ITS INTENSITY EVEN HERE. AND IF THAT IS HOW YOU FEEL, EVEN NOW... AND CONNOR WERE TO SHARE THE SAME FEELINGS… I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH. THE WORLD NEEDS YOU BOTH… THAT IS WHY… I WILL TRUST YOU WITH A GIFT. I LEAVE TO YOU… THE FUTURE!"

I turned to the horizon, watching the sea of time, "THIS IS MY THANKS! PLEASE ACCEPT IT! I roared with all of my might, a sound that split the air and time itself, channeling all of my control over time into one being.

**-Vulcan's POV-**

I let go of Bidoof, who looked too flustered to comprehend what had happened, and suddenly, I saw my shadow extend, like a light was behind me. I turned, and a bright sphere appeared on the beach. I shielded my eyes as the light became too bright to look at, but when it dimmed, and the shape became clear, I rubbed my eyes, then turned to Bidoof to make sure I wasn't imagining it.

The light cleared away, a few small orbs fluttering around for a minute before disappearing. Standing on the beach, Connor looked around, confused. Then he saw me. "Vulcan…?" He said it with disbelief, and I was too shocked to move.

After a split moment, I muttered, "C-Connor…" I sprinted forward, a grin on my face, and he ran forward as well, with an equally large grin. He tackled me to the ground, and gave me a massive hug. We both just laid on the sand, not caring about anything else in the world. After a little while, he stood up, and I placed a hand on his shoulder, confirming that he was really there. I lost it then. I burst into tears of joy, not caring about anything else in the world except that my best friend had come back.

* * *

**_This was literally the most heart-wrenching moment in any game I've played or seen. Tell me if it was the same for you guys! I'll tell you, there's a sequel to it, PMD: The Light in the Storm, which follows the post-game storyline to a degree. Go ahead and check it out if you enjoyed this one! As always, go ahead and leave a quick review or PM if you enjoyed, and I will see you in the next story! Much Love!_**

**_-PL_**


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